Native to Central and South America
Edited 5 July 2007
© Nina Rach
The genus Palmorchis was originally described by Barbosa Rodrigues (Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1: 169, 1877) as a "sizable" genus of tropical American orchids allied to Sobralia and Elleanthus. The generic name derives from the Greek palmh palme (palm) and orciV orchis (orchid), because the leaves are suggestive of certain Geonoma-like palms.
However, the genus appears to be rather small, under 20 species, and the type species, Palmorchis trinotata Dressler, wasn't published until 1997, in: Orquideología; Revista de la Sociedad Colombiana de Orquideología 20(3): 263, f.. 1997. [MO holotype 04958204, illustrated at left, Dressler 4680, 21 Aug 1974, Panama: Colón, lower Río Guanche. Isotypes at FLAS, PMA, SEL.]
Plants of Palmorchis trinotata are found in Central and South America and in Trinidad, and are quite rare in cultivation. Sepals and petals are pale green, and the lip has three lilac streaks. The genus is considered by taxonomist Robert L. Dressler to be one of the more primitive orchids. There are 11 Panamanian records of the type species in the TROPICOS - VAST specimen database, collected between 1959 and 1994, in the regions of Colon, Darien, Panama, and San Blas.
One synonym for Palmorchis Barb. Rodr. is Neobartlettia Schltr. in: Fedde Rep. Sp. Nov. 16: 440. 1920.
Genus citations for Neobartlettia include:
(1) G.C.K. Dunsterville & Leslie A. Garay. 1959-1976. Venezuelan orchids illustrated. (Venez Orch) 6:314.
(2) T. Lasser, ed. 1964-. Flora de Venezuela. (F Venez)
(3) R.E. Woodson & R.W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama. (F Panama)
Other synonyms for the genus are:
Jenmania Rolfe in Kew Bull. 198 1898, non Wachter, 1897
Rolfea Zahlbr. in Jour. Bot. 36: 493. 1898.
.
Oakes Ames (1924) ___ in: Sched. Orch. 7:32, fig. 6 [as Rolfea Powellii]
Barbosa Rodrigues (1877) ___ in: Gen. & sp. Orch. Nov. 1:169. [Palmorchis sobralioides]
Calaway H. Dodson (1988) "A list of the orchid species reported for Ecuador" in: Orquídeas de la costa del Ecuador, pp. 115-129.
[Palmorchis lobulata, P. pandurata, P. silvicola]
Calaway H. Dodson and Gustavo A. Romero (1993) "Three new orchid species from eastern Ecuador," in: Lindleyana 8(4): 193-197.
Robert L. Dressler (2002) "New species and combinations in Costa Rican orchids: 2.," in: Lankesteriana no.3: 25-29.
Robert L. Dressler (1997) "Mesoamerican orchid novelties: 1.," in: Orquideología; Revista de la Sociedad Colombiana de Orquideología 20(3): 253-265. [Palmorchis paludicola - Costa Rica; Palmorchis sordida - Costa Rica; Palmorchis trinotata - Panama are discussed on pp. 261-263.]
Robert L. Dressler (1984) "Palmorchis en Panama: una nueva especie donde menos se le esperaba. (Palmorchis in Panama, with a new species where least expected.)," in: Orquidea (Mexico) 9(2): 213-230.
Robert L. Dressler (1983) "Palmorchis in Panama mit einer neuen Art, Palmorchis nitida, an einem unerwarteten Standort," in: Orchidee 34(1): 25-31.
G.C.K. Dunsterville & Leslie A. Garay (1959-1976) Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated. Six volume set. (Venez Orch)
G.C.K. Dunsterville and Leslie A. Garay (1979) Orchids of Venezuela-- An Illustrated Field Guide. Massachusetts: Botanical Museum of Harvard University, 3 white volumes in a black slipcase, p. 699 [Palmorchis guianensis (Schltr.) C.Schweinf. & Correll]
Ernesto Foldats (1970) Flora de Venezuela, vol. I, pp. 150-156. Edicion Especial del Instituto Botanico. [3 Palmorchis sp.: guianensis, puber, pubescens]
Leslie A. Garay (Jan. 1978) "Studies in American Orchids X," in: Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard Univ. 26(1):1-38. [Palmorchis colombiana]
Fritz Hamer (1990) "Orchids of Central America: An Illustrated Field Guide (M-Z)," in: Selbyana 11(Suppl.):423-860 [Line drawing on p.594: Palmorchis silvicola]
Eva Ledezma, Giovanny Ramirez, Nayive Pino-Benitez (March 2006) "Forest Orchids of the Choco Region / Orquideas silvestres del Choco," in: Lyonia 10(1): 17-31. [Palmorchis trilobulata].
URL:
www.lyonia.org/downloadPDF.php?pdfID=2.396.&PHPSESSID=d3bb843e3094e7067d18e851731d8403
Pedro Ortiz Valdivieso, S.J. (1976) Orquideas de Colombia. Bogota: Fondo Colombiano de Investigaciones Cientificas y Proyectos Especiales "Francisco Jose de Caldas;" p.164. [line drawing of Palmorchis pubescens]
G.F.J. Pabst & F. Dungs (1977) Orchidaceae Brasilienses, Brücke-Verlag, Vol. I, pg. 122
Gustavo A. Romero and German Carnevali (2000) Orchids of Venezuela-- An Illustrated Field Guide, Second Edition. Caracas: Armitano Editores, 3 gray volumes in a purple slipcase.
Richard Evans Schultes (1960) Native Orchids of Trinidad and Tobago. Oxford: Pergamon Press Inc., 275p. [Palmorchis pubescens]
Richard Evans Schultes and Arthur Stanley Pease (1963) Generic Names of Orchids, Their Origin and Meaning. New York: Academic Press. 331pp. (Palmorchis text p. 229, illus. of Palmorchis pandurata p. 230, Plate P-2)
Schweinfurth and Donovan S. Correll (1940) ___ in: Bot. Mus. Leafl. Harv. Univ. 8:119. [P. powellii]
Louis Otho Williams (1941) ___ in: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 28:415, t. 20. [P. trilobulata]
Louis Otho Williams (1946) Flora of Panama, Part III. Fasc. 2: Orchidaceae. [2 Palmorchis sp.: trilobulata, powellii]
Y. Veyret (1981) "Quelques aspects du pistil et de son devenir chez quelques Sobraliinae (Orchidaceae) de Guyane," in: Bull. Mus. Nation. Hist. Nat., Adansonia 3(1): 75 - 83.
Y. Veyret (1978) "Deux especes nouvelles du genre Palmorchis Barb. Rodr. (Orchidaceae). (Two new species of Palmorchis Barb. Rodr. (Orchidaceae).)," in: Adansonia 17(4): 495-502.
Y. Veyret and D.L. Szlachetko (1995) "A new species of Palmorchis (Orchidaceae) from Colombia," in: Fragm. Flor. Geobot. 40(2): 889-891. [Palmorchis ____]
Eric A. Christenson and J.K. Boggan (1996) "Checklist of the Orchids of the Guianas"
[Palmorchis guianensis (Schlechter) Schweinf. & Correll [GU SU];
Palmorchis kuhlmannii (Schlechter) L.O. Williams [SU;
Palmorchis lobulata (Mansf.) Schweinf. & Corr. [FG];
Palmorchis pabstii Veyret [FG];
Palmorchis prospectorum Veyret [SU FG];
Palmorchis pubescens Barb. Rodr. [GU FG];
Palmorchis trilobulata L.O. Williams [SU]]
ING: Index Nominum Genericorum, from the U.S. National Herbarium, Dept. of Systematic Biology - Botany, Smithsonian Institution
International Plant Names Index [IPNI],
www.ipni.org
Iwokrama Plant Species List, Guyana
Preliminary Checklist of the Plants of Kaieteur National Park, Guyana: ANTHOPHYTA - MONOCOTYLEDONS
The
Kew Record of Taxonomic Literature
List of plant species, Nouragues area From Pierre BELBENOIT, Odile PONCY, Bernard RIERA in: Nouragues: Dynamics and Plant-Animal Interactions in a Neotropical Rainforest, BONGERS F., CHARLES-DOMINIQUE P., FORGET P.M. & M. THERY (eds), Kluwer, Dordrecht, Pays Bas (in prep).
