Sarcanthopsis
Sign in to saveSarcanthopsis, commonly known as goliath orchids, is a genus of six species of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are large epiphytes or lithophytes with long, thick, leathery stems, large, crowded leathery leaves and many yellowish flowers on a branched flowering stem. Orchids in this genus occur in New Guinea and islands of the south-west Pacific.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassLiliopsida
- OrderAsparagales
- FamilyOrchidaceae
Native toBismarck Archipelago, Caroline Is., Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Santa Cruz Is., Solomon Is., Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Is.
General: Sarcanthopsis is a genus of five morphologically similar Use: No uses have been reported for Sarcanthopsis; it is rare
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Description
- Taxonomy and naming
- Distribution
- See also
- References
Sarcanthopsis, commonly known as goliath orchids, is a genus of six species of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are large epiphytes or lithophytes with long, thick, leathery stems, large, crowded leathery leaves and many yellowish flowers on a branched flowering stem. Orchids in this genus occur in New Guinea and islands of the south-west Pacific.
==Description== Orchids in the Sarcanthopsis are large epiphytic or lithophytic monopodial plants with smooth leaves and stems up to long. A large number of leathery oblong leaves folded lengthwise have their bases wrapped around the stem. Yellowish resupinate flowers with brown spots, in diameter are arranged on a branching flowering stem and face in many different directions. The sepals and petals are free from and similar to each other in size and shape. The labellum is rigidly fixed to the column and has three lobes, a concave upper "hypochile" and lower "epichile" and a sharp bend in its middle.