Neuwiedia

Neuwiedia
Neuwiedia griffithii
1874 illustration from
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Apostasioideae
Genus: Neuwiedia
Blume, 1833
Type species
Neuwiedia veratrifolia

Neuwiedia is a genus of primitive terrestrial orchids (family Orchidaceae), comprising 9 species native to China, Southeast Asia and certain Pacific Islands.[1][2]

The two genera in the subfamily Apostasioideae, Apostasia and Neuwiedia, differ from most other orchids in having three stamens. Recent studies suggest that the fifteen or so species in these two genera, although exhibiting "primitive" features, are "sister" genera rather than ancestors of other orchid families.[3][4][5] Like the genus Apostasia of the same subfamily, this genus is noted for having 3 fertile stamens instead of only two as in the case of other orchids. Because of this primitive characteristic, the genus was considered by some as not being true orchids.

The genus was named by Carl Ludwig von Blume in honor of Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied (1782-1859).

The genus is distributed in shaded habitats. They are tall herbs with rhizomes and grow long, plicate leaves. They produce an unbranched, erect, terminal inflorescence bearing usually white or yellow, nodding flowers.

  1. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Flora of China v 25 p 21, 三蕊兰属 san rui lan shu, Neuwiedia Blume, Nov. Pl. Expos. 12. 1833.
  3. ^ Zhang, Guo-Qiang; Liu, Ke-Wei; Liu, Zhong-Jian; et al. (2017). "The Apostasia genome and the evolution of orchids". Nature. 549 (7672): 379–383. Bibcode:2017Natur.549..379Z. doi:10.1038/nature23897. PMC 7416622. PMID 28902843.
  4. ^ Judd, Walter S.; Stern, William Louis; Cheadle, Vernon I. (October 1993). "Phylogenetic position of Apostasia and Neuwiedia (Orchidaceae)". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 113 (2): 87–94. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1993.tb00331.x. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  5. ^ Kocyan, Alexander; Qiu, Yin-Long; Endress, Peter K.; Conti, Elena (2004). "A phylogenetic analysis of Apostasioideae (Orchidaceae) based on ITS, trnL-F and matK sequences" (PDF). Plant Systematics and Evolution. 247 (3–4): 203–213. doi:10.1007/s00606-004-0133-3. S2CID 36144437.