Family:: Orchidaceae Juss.

Polystachya Hook.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropics & Subtropics.

[FZ]

Orchidaceae, I. la Croix & P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:2. 1998

Morphology General Habit: Epiphytic, occasionally lithophytic or terrestrial perennial herbs.
Morphology Stem: Stems usually forming pseudobulbs, clustered or less commonly spaced out on a creeping rhizome, sometimes branched or superposed (emerging from nodes above the base of the previous pseudobulb), 1- to several-noded, with 1 to several leaves.
Morphology Leaves: Leaves linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate or elliptic, varying in texture.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence (comprising peduncle, rhachis and flowers) 1- to many-flowered, simple or branching. Floral bracts erect to reflexed, setiform, lanceolate, ovate or obovate, acute or acuminate to mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Flowers usually non-resupinate, very small or medium-sized, rarely large, usually fragrant, often pubescent, green, yellow, white, pink, mauve or orange, rarely red.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Dorsal sepal lanceolate to ovate; lateral sepals ± oblique, joined to the column-foot to form a mentum.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Petals linear to obovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum: Lip usually 3-lobed but sometimes entire, with or without a basal callus, glabrous, pubescent or farinose, often recurved, sometimes fleshy and difficult to flatten without breaking.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column: Column porrect, usually short and stout with a ± elongate foot; pollinia 2, ovoid; stipe 1, square or sub-triangular to oblong or linear; viscidium small to large, round or ellipsoid; rostellum usually obscure, bifid in front, rarely slightly elongated or beak-like.

[FTEA]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit: Small, medium-sized or rarely large epiphytic or less commonly lithophytic or terrestrial herbs
Morphology Stem: Stems often pseudobulbous, caespitose or less commonly spaced on a creeping rhizome, sometimes branched or superposed, 1–several-noded, 1–several-leaved
Morphology Leaves: Leaves suberect to spreading, thin-textured, coriaceous or rarely fleshy, often distichous, linear or lanceolate to oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, emarginate, acute, obtuse or acuminate at the apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence terminal, erect to pendulous, 1–many-flowered, simple or branching; branches sometimes secund; bracts suberect to reflexed, setose or lanceolate to ovate or obovate, acute or acuminate to mucronate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Flowers minute to fairly large, mostly with lip uppermost, non-resupinate, mostly rather drably coloured, ± fragrant, often pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Dorsal sepal mostly porrect, lanceolate to ovate-elliptic; lateral sepals ± oblique, attached to the column-foot to form a more or less prominent mentum
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Petals linear to obovate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum: Lip entire to 3-lobed, with or without a basal callus, glabrous, pubescent or farinose, often recurved and difficult to flatten
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column: Column porrect, mostly short and stout, with a ± elongate foot; pollinia 2, ovoid; stipe 1, square or subtriangular to oblong or linear; viscidium small to large, circular or elliptic; rostellum mostly obscure, bifid in front, rarely slightly elongate and beak-like.

[FTEA]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit: Terrestrial or lithophytic herb with clustered leafy stems
Morphology Leaves: Leaves grass-like, articulated below to a sheathing base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Flowers numerous in dense terminal racemes, showy, with a strong sweet scent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Sepals subequal, ± spreading, the laterals slightly united at the base and slightly adnate to the base of the lip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Petals free, similar to the sepals
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum: Lip somewhat spreading, sessile at the base of the column and ± adnate and parallel to it, entire, fleshy, devoid of keel or crests, but the basal and central part distinctly to slightly hairy
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column: Column short and thick, rounded at the back, excavated in front, with sparse short bristles on the angular edges; column-foot obscure, forming an obscure mentum with the lateral sepals; anther galeate, subhemispherical, obtusely umbonate at the apex, the basal margins retuse; pollinia attached to a semicircular viscidium, in 2 pairs of 2, each consisting of a smaller discoid one fitting against a larger concavo-convex one, separated by thin folds of tissue when young which later roll up forming ridges inside the anther- cap.

Native to:

Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Borneo, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Burkina, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cayman Is., Central African Repu, Chad, China South-Central, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Florida, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Mauritius, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mozambique, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Réunion, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vietnam, Windward Is., Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Hawaii