Chrysoglossum
(pronounced: kry-soh-GLOS-sum)
Classification
subtribe Collabiinae, of unknown affinity.
Overview
Caespitose terrestrials. Pseudobulbs slender, conic. Leaves one per pseudobulb, erect, elliptic, long-petiolate. Inflorescences erect long-pedunculate racemes produced on specialized leafless growths, the floral bracts often conspicuous. Flowers cupped. Sepals and petals free, spreading, subsimilar, subequal. Lip three-lobed, mobile, short-sourred, the callus of undulate longitudinal keels. Column strongly arching, with central elongate wings, with short foot; pollinia 2, naked.
Etymology
From the Greek chrysos, meaning gold, and glossa, meaning tongue, referring to the lip color of the type species.
Distribution
A genus of four species from throughout tropical Asia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow plants of Chrysoglossum in pots of terrestrial mixture rich in organic matter. Provide medium light levels, intermediate temperatures, and regular watering throughout the year. The roots of Chrysoglossum should never dry out for extended periods of time.
Literature
Dam, D. P. and S. N. Dam 1980. Chrysoglossum erraticum Hook. f., a rare orchid from Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Bull. Bot. Surv. India 22:185-187. van der Burgh, W. and E. F. de Vogel 1997. Revision of the orchid genera Chrysoglossum, Collabium, Diglyphosa, and Pilophyllum (subtribe Collabiinae). Orch. Monogr. 8:135-174.
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