Vanilloideae
Encyclopedia
Vanilloideae is one of the subfamilies of orchids belonging to the large family Orchidaceae
.
Lindley (1836) and even Garay (1986) used to treat it as a separate family Vanillaceae. But their single, incumbent anther and poorly organised pollinia
led to their recognition as at best a subgroup of monandrous
orchids. But, from a molecular point of view, this clade
is rather a sister to subfamily Epidendroideae
and subfamily Orchidoideae
in the Orchidaceae, and thus it is today also considered a subfamily.
The subfamily Vanilloideae consists of 15 genera and about 180 species, belonging to the tribes Pogonieae and Vanilleae,
Their distribution is pantropical, throughout Asia, Australia and the Americas.
The species in the tribe Pogonieae have a characteristic laciniate lip margin. The color of their petal
s and sepal
s is pink or rarely white or bluish. Their sepals have an oblong, elliptic, or narrowly lanceolate form.
The species in the tribe Vanilleae are long plants characterized by long, thick, succulent vine
s and a lip without spur.
Tribe Vanilleae (172 species)
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
.
Lindley (1836) and even Garay (1986) used to treat it as a separate family Vanillaceae. But their single, incumbent anther and poorly organised pollinia
Pollinium
Pollinium, or plural pollinia, is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant.They are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of milkweeds .Most orchids have waxy pollinia...
led to their recognition as at best a subgroup of monandrous
Monandrous
- In orchids :A distinction between monandrous and other flowers is particularly relevant in the classification of orchids. The monandrous orchids form a clade consisting of the subfamilies Orchidoideae, Vanilloideae, and Epidendroideae. The other subfamilies, Apostasioideae and Cypripedioideae,...
orchids. But, from a molecular point of view, this clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
is rather a sister to subfamily Epidendroideae
Epidendroideae
In plant systematics Epidendroideae is a subfamily of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most Epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes, typically with pseudobulbs...
and subfamily Orchidoideae
Orchidoideae
The Orchidoideae, or the orchidoid orchids, are a subfamily of the orchid family .They typically contain the orchids with a single , fertile anther which is erect and basitonic....
in the Orchidaceae, and thus it is today also considered a subfamily.
The subfamily Vanilloideae consists of 15 genera and about 180 species, belonging to the tribes Pogonieae and Vanilleae,
Their distribution is pantropical, throughout Asia, Australia and the Americas.
The species in the tribe Pogonieae have a characteristic laciniate lip margin. The color of their petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s and sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s is pink or rarely white or bluish. Their sepals have an oblong, elliptic, or narrowly lanceolate form.
The species in the tribe Vanilleae are long plants characterized by long, thick, succulent vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s and a lip without spur.
Classification
Tribe Pogonieae (77 species)- Genera : CleistesCleistesCleistes is a genus of plants in the orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae the same family which provides the vanilla bean of commerce. They are native to North and South America. The common names are Rosebud Orchid and Small Spreading Pogonia.This is a terrestrial orchid with an...
, DuckeellaDuckeellaDuckeella is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae.-List of species:#Duckeella adolphii Porto & Brade, Anais Reunião Sul-Amer. Bot. 3: 32 ....
, IsotriaIsotriaIsotria is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, PogoniaPogoniaPogonia is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae. It includes 7 species, and takes its name from the Greek pōgōn and pōgōníās, meaning, respectively, 'beard' and 'bearded.'...
and PogoniopsisPogoniopsisPogoniopsis is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae....
Tribe Vanilleae (172 species)
- Genera : ClematepistephiumClematepistephiumClematepistephium is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, CyrtosiaCyrtosiaCyrtosia is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, DictyophyllariaDictyophyllariaDictyophyllaria is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, EpistephiumEpistephiumEpistephium is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, EriaxisEriaxisEriaxis is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae....
, ErythrorchisErythrorchisErythrorchis is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, GaleolaGaleolaGaleola is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae.All Species in this genus are myco-heterotrophic, i.e. they are parasitic upon fungi. The Genus is spread throughout Asia and contains 22 to 25 species.Galeola is of biological interest because of its exclusive...
, LecanorchisLecanorchisLechanorchis is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae.The scientific name is derived from the Greek words lekane and orchis ....
, PseudovanillaPseudovanillaPseudovanilla is a genus of orchids belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae....
and Vanilla.