无喙兰属 wu hui lan shu

Authors:Authors: Xinqi Chen, Phillip J. Cribb & Stephan W. Gale

Archineottia S. C. Chen.

Herbs, small, heteromycotrophic, with short rhizomes and tufted fleshy roots, without green leaves. Inflorescence erect, terminal, racemose, sparsely papillose-pubescent above; peduncle with several tubular sheaths; rachis several to many flowered, sparsely papillose-pubescent; floral bracts membranous. Flowers erect or spreading, resupinate or not, actinomorphic or less commonly zygomorphic; pedicel rather long. Sepals similar, outer surfaces usually sparsely hairy. Petals similar, or central one a modified lip 2-lobed at apex. Column rather long, slightly dilated at apex, with a thick ridge on dorsal surface; anther erect or suberect, attached by a filament to ridge on back of column; pollinia 2, granular-farinaceous, soft, without caudicles or viscidia; stigma terminal; rostellum absent.

Six species: China, NW India, Japan, Russia (Far East); two species (both endemic) in China.

In the opinion of one of us (Chen), this genus is characterized by its very distinct column structure, in which there is a thick ridge on its dorsal surface linked at the upper end by a filament to the suberect anther, and a terminal stigma, but no rostellum. This is a reliable and stable character found in all the species, including those with a modified lip very similar to that in Neottia. For a detailed discussion, see Chen and Tsi (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 25: 329-339. 1987).In the opinion of one of us (Chen), this genus is characterized by its very distinct column structure, in which there is a thick ridge on its dorsal surface linked at the upper end by a filament to the suberect anther, and a terminal stigma, but no rostellum. This is a reliable and stable character found in all the species, including those with a modified lip very similar to that in Neottia. For a detailed discussion, see Chen and Tsi (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 25: 329-339. 1987).