Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses.[2] The genus is distributed in the Americas, Eurasia, and Australia.[3] The genus name Spiranthes is derived from the Greek speira ("coil") and anthos ("flower"), and was inspired by the spirally arranged inflorescence.[3]

Spiranthes
Spiranthes magnicamporum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Subtribe: Spiranthinae
Genus: Spiranthes
Rich., 1817
Type species
Ophrys spiralis = Spiranthes spiralis
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
Spiranthes spiralis

Description

edit

These are perennial herbs growing from fleshy root systems that range from slender to tuberous, and are occasionally stoloniferous. Most of the leaves are basal, but some species have leaves higher on the stem before the inflorescence matures, often taking the form of a sheath around the stem. The inflorescence is a terminal spike with flowers arranged in a characteristic loose or dense spiral. As in most other orchids, the flowers are resupinate, twisting during development into an upside-down position. The six tepals may be separate, or the three upper may be joined to form a hood over the lip petal. The lip is thin to somewhat fleshy, and two basal glands produce nectar. The flowers are usually white, cream, ivory, or yellowish, and two species have pink flowers; a few are also fragrant.[3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

edit

The genus Spiranthes was first formally described in 1817 by Louis Claude Richard in his book De Orchideis Europaeis Annotationes.[1][5] The genus's name is derived from ancient Greek words meaning "a coil" and "a flower".[6]

Since its original description, the genus has undergone many taxonomic changes. Spiranthes once contained all the species from the subtribe Spiranthinae. In 1920, Spiranthes was split into 24 genera.[7] Revisions in 1951[8] and 1958[9] placed more species into the genus. During the 1990s it was divided again.[10]

Spiranthes has recently received increased attention from taxonomists and systematists, leading to new species discovery and the resolution of many long-term taxonomic questions.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

It is difficult to clearly define some of the species of this taxon because some of them are polymorphic, taking a number of different forms,[17] with some species belonging to species complexes involving several closely related and morphologically similar species (e.g., the S. cernua species complex;[18] S. parksii, a member of the S. cernua complex and probably a descendant of S. cernua. It has been suggested that this species is just another rare form).[17][19]

Species list

edit
 
Spiranthes romanzoffiana

The following is a list of species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at March 2023:[1]

More recently discovered species:

Ecology

edit

Pollination

edit

Spiranthes are primarily pollinated by bumblebees, however other bee genera also pollinate various species, including halictid bees, and honey bees (particularly in Europe and Asia).[21][22][23]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Spiranthes". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ Spiranthes. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  3. ^ a b c Spiranthes. Flora of North America.
  4. ^ Spiranthes. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
  5. ^ Richard, Louis Claude (1817). De Orchideis Europaeis Annotationes. Paris. Retrieved 31 Mar 2023.
  6. ^ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780958034180.
  7. ^ Schlechter, R. (1920). Versuch einer systematischen Neuordnung der Spiranthinae. Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37 317–454. (in German)
  8. ^ Williams, L. O. The Orchidaceae of Mexico - 4 Volumes. Ceiba Tegucigalpa. 1951.
  9. ^ Schweinfurth, C. Orchids of Peru. Fieldiana Bot. 30 1–260. 1958.
  10. ^ Szlachetko, D. L. (1996). Studies on Spirantheae Orchidaceae: I. Varia. Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica 41(2), 845-63.
  11. ^ Dueck, L. A.; Aygoren, D.; Cameron, K. M. (2014-09-01). "A molecular framework for understanding the phylogeny of Spiranthes (Orchidaceae), a cosmopolitan genus with a North American center of diversity". American Journal of Botany. 101 (9): 1551–1571. doi:10.3732/ajb.1400225. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 25253714.
  12. ^ Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (December 2016). "Reinstatement, Redescription, and Emending of Spiranthes triloba (Orchidaceae): Solving a 118 year old cryptic puzzle". Systematic Botany. 41 (4): 924–939. doi:10.1600/036364416x694026. S2CID 90359676.
  13. ^ Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2019). "The evolutionary and systematic significance of hybridization between taxa of Spiranthes (Orchidaceae) in the California Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range". Taxon. 68 (2): 199–217. doi:10.1002/tax.12034. ISSN 1996-8175. S2CID 190872991.
  14. ^ Pace, Matthew C.; Giraldo, Giovanny; Frericks, Jonathan; Lehnebach, Carlos A.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2019-01-01). "Illuminating the systematics of the Spiranthes sinensis species complex (Orchidaceae): ecological speciation with little morphological differentiation". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 189 (1): 36–62. doi:10.1093/botlinnean/boy072. ISSN 0024-4074.
  15. ^ Pace, Matthew C. (2021-04-30). "Spiranthes bightensis (Orchidaceae), a New and Rare Cryptic Hybrid Species Endemic to the U. S. Mid-Atlantic Coast". Phytotaxa. 498 (3): 159–176. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.498.3.2. ISSN 1179-3163.
  16. ^ Pace, Matthew C.; Cameron, Kenneth M. (2017). "The Systematics of the Spiranthes cernua Species Complex (Orchidaceae): Untangling the Gordian Knot". Systematic Botany. 42 (4): 640–669. doi:10.1600/036364417x696537. S2CID 90432295.
  17. ^ a b Dueck, L. A. and K. M. Cameron, K. M. (2007). Sequencing re-defines Spiranthes relationships, with implications for rare and endangered taxa. Lankesteriana 7(1-2), 190-95.
  18. ^ Spiranthes cernua. Flora of North America.
  19. ^ Spiranthes parksii. Flora of North America.
  20. ^ Kenji Suetsugu; Shun K Hirota; Hiroshi Hayakawa; Shohei Fujimori; Masayuki Ishibashi; Tien Chuan Hsu; Yoshihisa Suyama (17 March 2023). "Spiranthes hachijoensis (Orchidaceae), a new species within the S. sinensis species complex in Japan, based on morphological, phylogenetic, and ecological evidence". Journal of Plant Research. doi:10.1007/S10265-023-01448-6. ISSN 0918-9440. Wikidata Q117307689.
  21. ^ Catling, Paul M. (1982-12-01). "Breeding systems of northeastern North American Spiranthes (Orchidaceae)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 60 (12): 3017–3039. doi:10.1139/b82-358. ISSN 0008-4026.
  22. ^ Tao, Zhi-Bin; Ren, Zong-Xin; Bernhardt, Peter; Liang, Huan; Li, Hai-Dong; Zhao, Yan-Hui; Wang, Hong; Li, De-Zhu (2018). "Does reproductive isolation reflect the segregation of color forms in Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames complex (Orchidaceae) in the Chinese Himalayas?". Ecology and Evolution. 8 (11): 5455–5469. Bibcode:2018EcoEv...8.5455T. doi:10.1002/ece3.4067. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 6010815. PMID 29938065.
  23. ^ Catling, Paul M. (1983-04-01). "Pollination of northeastern North American Spiranthes (Orchidaceae)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 61 (4): 1080–1093. doi:10.1139/b83-116. ISSN 0008-4026.