Orchidaceae

Zygosepalum

Kingdom: Plantae Rank: Genus Parent: Orchidaceae Status: Valid

Vegetative Morphology

Habit: Trailing epiphytes, the rhizome with short to elongate internodes. Pseudobulbs angular, +/- subtending foliaceous bracts.

Leaves: Leaves 1--2, oblong-elliptic, petiolate.

Reproductive Morphology

Inflorescence: Inflorescences erect or arching, few-flowered scapose racemes. sessile on a large viscidium.

Flowers: Flowers showy. Sepals and petals subsimilar, subequal, free, spreading. Lip unlobed, articulated to the column foot, with a large, fleshy, transverse callus at the base. Column straight to arching, winged, with a short foot, the anther with an elongate beak-like appendage; pollinia 4, in two pairs,

Other

Notes: Plants of Zygosepalum typically are trailing-ascending epiphytes in close habitats such as hammocks and along rivers. The very large, very showy flowers are conspicuous by their stark white lips highlighted with purple veins toward the base. The column apex has very large rounded wings. Most notablew is the anther which has a highly elongate, awl-like apical appendage more than twice the length of the globose base.