Chiloschista, commonly known as starfish orchids[3] and abbreviated Chsch.,[4] is a genus of usually leafless, epiphytic or lithophytic orchids found in India, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Chiloschista
Chiloschista trudelii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Vandeae
Subtribe: Aeridinae
Genus: Chiloschista
Lindl.[1]
Type species
Chiloschista usneoides
(D.Don) Lindl.[2]

Description

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Orchids in the genus Chiloschista are epiphytic or lithophytic, usually leafless monopodial herbs with flat, green, photosynthetic roots radiating from a short, central rhizome. The flowers are arranged on long, thin flowering stems, open sporadically in groups and only last for a few hours to one or two days. They are small and resupinate, with the sepals and petals more or less similar in size and shape to each other but different from the labellum which has three lobes. The side lobes of the labellum are erect and larger than the middle lobe which is slipper-shaped.[3][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

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The genus Chiloschista was first described in 1832 by John Lindley in Edwards's Botanical Register.[1][7] The name Chiloschista is derived from the Ancient Greek words cheilos meaning "lip" or "rim"[8]: 486  and schistos meaning "split" or "divided".[8]: 684 

Twenty species of Chiloschista are recognised by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at December 2018:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Chiloschista". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ "Chiloschista". APNI. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 434–435. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. ^ "Alphabetical list of standard abbreviations of all generic names occurring in current use in orchid hybrid registration as at 31st December 2007" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society.
  5. ^ Chen, Xinqi; Wood, Jeffrey J. "Chiloschista". Flora of China. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ^ D.L.Jones; T.Hopley; S.M.Duffy (2010). "Chiloschista". Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  7. ^ Lindley, John (1832). "Chiloschista". Edwards's Botanical Register. 18: t1522. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  8. ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.