Cyrtopodium R.Br.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Mostly terrestrial or lithophytic, epiphytic in the flora area, caespitose herbs with stout rhizomes and large ovoid, fusiform to cylindrical pseudobulbs of several elongate internodes. Leaves several, distichous, coriaceous, acuminate, plicate, articulate, deciduous at the end of the growing season

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences lateral, arising from the base of the pseudobulbs, erect, racemose to paniculate, many-flowered, usually much longer than leaves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers resupinate, often showy; floral bracts linear-ovate to elliptic, often showy, the margins undulate; sepals and petals membranous, spreading, often conspicuously undulate, lateral sepals laterally adnate to the base of the column foot, sometimes wider than the dorsal one and/or slightly oblique; petals usually wider than the sepals; lip subsessile to clawed, adnate to the apex of the column foot, conspicuously 3- lobed, the lateral lobes erect to spreading, sometimes spatulate, the margins entire, undulate and/or verrucose, disk with a keeled, tuberculate, cristate or verrucose callus

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column

Column short to somewhat elongate, slightly arched, clavate to subclavate, semiterete, with a conspicuous foot

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anther terminal, incumbent, operculate, imperfectly 2-locular, pollinia 2, yellow, cartilaginous, sulcate, subtriangular in outline, semiterete in cross- section, attached to a short, trullate viscidium

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule massive.

Distribution

A neotropical genus of about 30 species.