Orchid Information - Genus Pholidota section Pholidota

Genus Pholidota Hook. sect. Pholidota Butzin, Willdenowia 7 (1974) 258 (in key)

Synonyms:

Type species: Pholidota imbricata W.J . Hooker

Creeping epiphytes, sometimes lithophytes, entirely glabrous except for root hairs and minute hairs on the floral bracts. Attaching roots along the entire rhizome, long, thin, usually branched. Rhizome creeping, the parts between the pseudobulbs short. Scales of the young shoot later all more or less clasping the pseudobulb, persistent till after flowering, then soon disintegrating, stiff herbaceous to subcoriaceous; nerves many, inconspicuous. Pseudobulbs close together, all turned to one side of the rhizome. Leaf one per pseudobulb; blade oblong to linear-lanceolate, rather small to large, either or not plicate, herbaceous or thick coriaceous, many-nerved, main nerves 3-5. Raceme synanthous with the almost entirely developed young leaf, rarely with the just emerging young leaf, (rather few- to) many-flowered; flowers opening more or less simultaneously; peduncle short to long, terete, in fruit more or less distinctly elongating; rachis pendulous, (rather short to) long, almost straight to more or less zig-zag; sterile bracts (0-)1-17; floral bracts persistent till after fruiting, not folded along the midrib, very broadly sagittate to ovate, nerves rather few to very many, rather coarse to very fine. Flowers neatly distichous or a number more or less turned to one side, opening rather wide, not resupinate but lip turned more or less downwards. Pedicel more or less straight, more or less angular. Ovary tapering to the base, more or less distinctly angular in section due to the ribs. Median sepal concave, forming a hood with the petals, semi-elliptic to ovate; midrib more or less prominent or with a low rounded keel. Lateral sepals either or not connate at the base, rather deeply concave, ovate to ovate-oblong; midrib a more or less high, thin, wing-like keel. Petals asymmetric, more or less distinctly falcate. Lip broadly inserted, sigmoid; hypochile boat-shaped to saccate, with distinct, rather high to high lateral lobes, inside at the back with 3 short, rather high, at the margin somewhat swollen keels; epichile recurved to reflexed, two-lobed, without keels or warts. Column without column foot, short; hood distinct, more or less pronounced, distinctly widened and enlarged above the stigma; anther inserted about halfway the margin of the hood and the stigma, more or less transversely elliptic to cordate in outline; pollinia more or less pear-shaped; stigma more or less (semi-)orbicular to sickle-shaped in outline, either or not with the lateral margins drawn out laterally; rostellum an entire, more or less narrow seam-like rim, either or not with swollen lateral margins. Fruit ellipsoid, on top the perianth or at least (part of) the column persistent; ribs 6, the 3 jugae band-like, either or not with a more or less pronounced longitudinal keel, the 3 valvae smooth, median with a longitudinal keel; seeds minute, shortly fusiform; embryo ellipsoid.
(After De Vogel, 1988)

---