Corycium

Corycium is a genus of terrestrial orchids comprising some 14 species in Eastern and Southern Africa including 10 species native to the fynbos.[1] In South Africa they are called monkshood orchids.

Monkshood orchids
Corycium orobanchoides
1838 illustration from
Edwards's Botanical Register
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diseae
Subtribe: Coryciinae
Genus: Corycium
Sw.
Corycium range map

Their resting stage is a tuber and when growing they have many leaves scattered along the stem but concentrated near the base. The dense spikes of flowers are not particularly striking and are often brown, green or purple. The uppermost 3 tepals are connivent into a hood whilst the lateral sepals are almost united. The lip is joined to the column bearing an appendage that covers the anthers

Species
  1. Corycium alticola Parkman & Schelpe - South Africa, Lesotho
  2. Corycium bicolorum (Thunb.) Sw. - South Africa
  3. Corycium bifidum Sond. - South Africa
  4. Corycium carnosum (Lindl.) Rolfe in W.H.Harvey - South Africa
  5. Corycium crispum (Thunb.) Sw. - South Africa
  6. Corycium deflexum (Bolus) Rolfe in W.H.Harvey - South Africa
  7. Corycium dracomontanum Parkman & Schelpe - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi
  8. Corycium excisum Lindl. - South Africa
  9. Corycium flanaganii (Bolus) Kurzweil & H.P.Linder - South Africa, Lesotho
  10. Corycium ingeanum E.G.H.Oliv. - South Africa
  11. Corycium microglossum Lindl. - South Africa
  12. Corycium nigrescens Sond. - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania
  13. Corycium orobanchoides (L.f.) Sw. - South Africa
  14. Corycium tricuspidatum Bolus - South Africa

References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  • Swartz, O. (1800) Kongl. Vetenskaps Academiens Nya Handlingar 21: 220.
  • Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2001) Orchidoideae (Part 1). Genera Orchidacearum 2: 23 ff. Oxford University Press.
  • Media related to Corycium at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Corycium at Wikispecies


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