Galeola Explained

Galeola is a genus of orchids (family Orchidaceae) belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae.^[1]

All species in this genus are myco-heterotrophic, i.e. they are parasitic upon fungi. The genus is spread throughout southeast Asia (from India to China to New Guinea) as well as Madagascar and Comoros.^[2]

Galeola is of biological interest because of its exclusive myco-heterotrophic nature and its seeds. The seeds are the biggest orchid seeds in the world. They are winged, which is also extraordinary for an orchid.

Species

At present, there are 6 currently recognized species:^[2]

• Galeola cathcarthii Hook.f. - Thailand, Myanmar, India (Assam, Sikkim) Bhutan
• Galeola faberi Rolfe - China, Assam, Nepal, Vietnam, Sumatra
• Galeola falconeri Hook.f. - India (Assam), Bhutan, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, China
• Galeola humblotii H.G.Reichb. - Madagascar, Comoros
• Galeola lindleyana (Hook.f. & J.W.Thomson) H.G.Reichb.- Bhutan, China, India (Assam), Sumatra, Vietnam, Nepal, Taiwan
• Galeola nudifolia Lour. (1790) - China, India (Assam), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, New Guinea

Notes and References

1. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/654213#page/166/mode/1up Loureiro, João de. 1790. Flora Cochinchinensis 2: 520
2. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=85287 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families