Polystachya neobenthamia explained

Polystachya neobenthamia is a species of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is terrestrial,^[1] lithophilic and grows among leaf litter and other detritus on rock faces. It is endemic to Tanzania.

Description

This species produces slender, reed-like stems, which bear distichously arranged, linear leaves. The inflorescence is erect and the rachis is bent apically.^[2] The flowers have four laterally flattened pollinia.^[3] The pollinia are relatively hard.^[4]

Taxonomy

It was formerly placed in a separate, monotypic genus Neobenthamia Rolfe under the name Neobenthamia gracilis Rolfe. This is however now a synonym of Polystachya neobenthamia Schltr.^[5] Under the inclusion of P. neobenthamia the genus Polystachya is a monophyletic group. This species is the sister group to Polystachya dendrobiiflora.

References

• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. (1999). Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press.
• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. (2001). Genera Orchidacearum 2. Oxford Univ. Press.
• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. (2003). Genera Orchidacearum 3. Oxford Univ. Press
• Berg Pana, H. 2005. Handbuch der Orchideen-Namen. Dictionary of Orchid Names. Dizionario dei nomi delle orchidee. Ulmer, Stuttgart

Notes and References

1. Russell, A., Samuel, R., Rupp, B., Barfuss, M. H., Šafran, M., Besendorfer, V., & Chase, M. W. (2010). "Phylogenetics and cytology of a pantropical orchid genus Polystachya (Polystachyinae, Vandeae, Orchidaceae): Evidence from plastid DNA sequence data." Taxon, 59(2), 389-404.
2. Mytnik-Ejsmont, J., & Szlachetko, D. L. (2011). "Isochilostachya Mytnik and Szlach., gen. nov., a new genus of Polystachyinae Schltr.(Orchidaceae)." Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 80(1).
3. Dressler, R. L., & Dodson, C. H. (1960). "Classification and phylogeny in the Orchidacea." Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 25-68.
4. Poinar, G., & Rasmussen, F. N. (2017). "Orchids from the past, with a new species in Baltic amber." Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 183(3), 327-333.
5. 654451-1 . Polystachya neobenthamia Schltr.. 30 October 2022.