ORCHIDACEAE

Brachycorythis Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. 363. (1838).

By: Lokesh R. Shakya 

Taxon Description 

Terrestrial herbs, tuberous. Stem erect, leafy. Leaves alternate, closely spaced, numerous, overlapping, reducing in size upward and becoming bract-like. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, usually many-flowered; floral bracts foliaceous, usually equal or longer than flower. Flowers purple to white, resupinate. Sepals subsimilar, free, entire; dorsal sepal erect, concave, lateral sepals spreading, oblique. Petals entire, adnate to column base, forming hood with the dorsal sepal. Lip adnate to the base of column, spreading, often longer than sepals and petals, spurred, projecting forward, entire or clearly divided into hypochile and an entire or more or less 3-lobed epichile. Column erect, slender, short; anther ovoid, with two parallel locules; pollinia 2, granular, sectile, caudicles short, viscidia naked.

Taxon Statistics

About 40 species, native mostly to Africa and Madagascar, with some species in Asia.

Only one species in Nepal (Brachycorythis obcordata)