Glossodia

For the suburb of Sydney in Australia, see Glossodia, New South Wales.
Glossodia
waxlip orchid (Glossodia major)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Subtribe: Caladeniinae
Genus: Glossodia
R.Br.[1]

Glossodia is a genus of mostly purple orchids from Australia. In spring vast numbers of Glossodia major flower on uncleared land.

There are only two recognised species:[2]

Cultivation

Glossodia are difficult to maintain in cultivation. Growing from seed in vitro has yielded very poor results, and plants taken from the wild usually last only a few years. This may be due to the plants' complete reliance on a symbiotic fungus for nutrition. These orchids form no roots and obtain nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi. A reasonably successful solution to this has been to grow new plants in the same pot each year. This usually requires hand pollination, but it can result in a better yield.

References

  1. ↑ "Glossodia". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  2. ↑ "Genus Glossodia". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 2008-10-22.


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