Quisqueya (orchids)
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The plant genus Quisqueya belongs to the family of orchids (Orchidaceae). The four or so species occur only on Hispaniola . They grow epiphytically or lithophytically .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Quisqueya species grow as evergreen, perennial herbaceous plants . Thick, fleshy roots emerge from a rhizome and develop characteristic wrinkles with age. The unthickened stems have one to four leaves . The leathery, simple leaf blades are narrow-lanceolate.
Generative characteristics
The terminal inflorescence bears one to eight flowers .
The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and threefold. The flowers are generally pink, the lip is more brightly colored than the other five, narrow bracts , which often tend to be greenish or brown. The column is fused with the lip and forms a tubular nectarium at the bottom . The lip is three-lobed, with the side lobes spread out flat. In the middle of the lip there is a different colored callus. The lip and callus can be slightly hairy. There are eight pollinia in four pairs, one pair large and one pair small on each side of the column (similar to Tetramicra ). At Quisqueya karstii a third, even smaller pair of pollinia can occasionally be observed.
Occurrence
Quisqueya species each inhabit small, separate areas on the island of Hispaniola. Three of the species occur in the southwest of the island, Quisqueya rosea colonizes the Cordillera Central. While Quisqueya karstii grows in sparse karst forests at altitudes of around 300 meters, the other species are native to higher-lying forests, at altitudes of 1400 to 1900 meters.
The habitat of all Quisqueya species is endangered by deforestation.
Systematics and botanical history
The genus Quisqueya is classified in the sub- tribus Laeliinae . There it belongs to the so-called Broughtonia group, which also includes the genera Psychilis and Tetramicra . The demarcation between Quisqueya and the last two genera has not yet been well researched.
Specimens of Quisqueya rosea were described by Schlechter in 1913 as Epidendrum roseum , passed through the genera Cattleyopsis and Broughtonia until Donald Dod established the genus Quisqueya in 1979 after field studies on Hispaniola and described three new species. Type species is Quisqueya karstii .
The generic name Quisqueya is derived from a name used by the native Indians for the island of Hispaniola.
species
- Quisqueya ekmanii Dod - Terrestrial or growing on rocks, shoots up to twelve, leaves a further 15 centimeters long. The inflorescence with up to eight flowers reaches 30 centimeters in length. All parts of the flower bright pink, callus yellow. This endemic thrives only in the Sierra de Bahoruco in the Dominican Republic .
- Quisqueya rosea (Mansf.) Dod - Grows epiphytically on the trunk or on the lower branches of small trees in the Cordillera Central. Shoots up to seven, leaves up to 12 centimeters long and only eight millimeters wide. The inflorescences with one to three flowers reach 10 to 15 centimeters in length. Tepals greenish or brownish pink, lip light pink with white, dark pink bordered callus. For the extensive synonyms see van den Berg.
- Quisqueya holdridgei Dod - Similar in appearance to Quisqueya rosea , leaves up to 17 centimeters long and only seven millimeters wide. The lip is light pink to white, the callus yellow with a dark pink spot in the middle of the lip. This endemic thrives only in the Sierra de Bahoruco in the Dominican Republic.
- Quisqueya karstii Dod - The type species grows epiphytically in karst forests in the region "The Haitises". The leaves are 14 centimeters long and eight millimeters wide on shoots about 10 centimeters long. The flowers are the largest of the genus, the tepals tinged with green and brown, the lip light pink to white. The callus is dark pink.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Quisqueya. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ C. van den Berg, MW Chase: A reappraisal of Laeliinae, taxonomic history, phylogeny and new generic alliances. ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Orchid Digest. La Canada Ca 68.2004, 4, 223. ISSN 0199-9559
- ↑ C. van den Berg: Nomenclatural notes on Laeliinae III - Notes on Cattleya and Quisqueya, and a new combination in Prosthechea. In: Lindleyana. West Palmbeach Fla 16.2001, 3,143. ISSN 0889-258X
literature
- CL Withner : The Cattleyas and their relatives. Volume IV. The Bahamian and Caribbean Species. Timber Press, Portland 1996, pp. 105-111. ISBN 0-88192-344-3
