Pteroceras muriculatum is an endemic endangered orchid reported from the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. This insular orchid was first described by Reichenbach in 1881 as Thrixspermum muriculatum Rchb. f. based on a few specimens procured during the latter part of 19th century by Mr W. Bull. This taxon has not been reported until 2005 after the type collection. During the floristic survey of South Andaman Islands carried out by Sam Mathew for the 'Flora India Project' of the Botanical Survey of India, this taxon was relocated in 1993 from the semievergreen forests at Chidiyatappu region. Pteroceras muriculatum (Reichb. f.) P. F. Hunt is a beautiful small epiphytic orchid having creamy white flowers with distinct transverse purple bands on petals. A living specimen collected from South Andaman Island is conserving at the Field Gene Bank of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Trivandrum, India.[2][3][4]
| Pteroceras muriculatum | |
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_-_Xenia_3_pl_227.jpg)
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| Illustration of Pteroceras muriculatum as Thrixspermum muriculatum | |
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| Flowering specimen | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Pteroceras |
| Species: | P. muriculatum
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| Binomial name | |
| Pteroceras muriculatum (Rchb. f.) P. F. Hunt
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| native distribution of Pteroceras muriculatum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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References
edit- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Mathew, S. P., A. Mohandas & G. M. Nair 2005:Pteroceras muriculatum(Reichb. f.) P. F. Hunt - A vanishing endemic orchid from the Andaman islands, India, Orchid Digest 69: 35-36.
- ^ Pedersen H. E 1993: The genus Pteroceras - a taxonomic revision, Opera Botanica vol. 117
- ^ Vestweber, K. H.2005: Die Gattung Pteroceras Hasselt ex Hassk., Journal Fur Den Orchideenfreund 12: 305-333