Gymnadenia Explained

Gymnadenia is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family (Orchidaceae) containing 22 terrestrial species. The former genus Nigritella is now included in Gymnadenia.

They can be found in damp meadows, fens and marshes, and on chalk or limestone, often in alpine regions of Europe and Asia from Portugal to Kamchatka, including China, Japan, Mongolia, Siberia, the Himalayas, Iran, Ukraine, Germany, Scandinavia, Great Britain, etc.[1] [2] [3] The fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) has been introduced into the USA and is reportedly naturalized in Connecticut.[4]

These hardy terrestrial orchids are deciduous. They survive the winter through two deep-cut tubers. Long lanceolate green leaves grow at the bottom of the stem. There are some small leaves at the stop of the stem.

They flower during the summer. The inflorescence is a dense cylindrical spike between 5 and 30 cm long. It can consists of up to 150 small pleasant-smelling flowers. It is recently discovered that eugenol and isoeugenol, floral volatile scent compounds, are catalyzed by single type of enzyme in Gymnadenia species and gene encoding for this enzyme is first functionally characterized gene in this species so far.[5] Their color can vary from pale purple to pink and white. The lip is wide with three lobes. The marginal petals are horizontal. There is a long, thin, threadlike spur.

Several species were formerly classified under Nigritella. The nothogeneric name ×Gymnigritella was used for hybrids between these two groups.

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species and hybrids.[6] ([N] = formerly placed in Nigritella, [GN] = formerly placed in ×Gymnigritella.)

Hybrids

Further reading

In Literature

Gymnadenia is the title of a novel published in 1929 in Norwegian by Nobel Prize winning author Sigrid Undset.[13] The novel was translated into English by Arthur G. Chater and published in 1931 as The Wild Orchid.[14]

Notes and References

  1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=93593 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=114226 Flora of China, v 25 p 133, 手参属 shou shen shu, Gymnadenia R. Brown in W. T. Aiton, Hortus Kew., ed. 2. 5: 191. 1813.
  3. http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=gymnadenia+conopsea Altervista Flora Italiana, Manina rosea, Fragrant Orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea (L.) R. Br.
  4. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Gymnadenia%20conopsea.png Biota of North America Program, county distribution map
  5. Alok K. Gupta . Ines Schauvinhold . Eran Pichersky . Florian P. Schiestl . 2014 . Eugenol synthase genes in floral scent variation in Gymnadenia species . . 14 . 4 . 779–788 . 10.1007/s10142-014-0397-9 . 25239559. 20.500.11850/91540 . 17207240 . free .
  6. Web site: Gymnadenia R.Br. . Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023-08-03 .
  7. Web site: Gymnadenia × chanousiana . . 2020-08-06 .
  8. Web site: Gymnadenia × delphineae . . 2020-08-06 .
  9. Web site: Gymnadenia × eggeriana . . 2020-08-06 .
  10. Web site: Gymnadenia × godferyana . . 2020-08-06 .
  11. Web site: Gymnadenia × truongiae . . 2020-08-06 .
  12. Web site: Gymnadenia × turnowskyi . . 2020-08-06 .
  13. Undset, Sigrid (1929). Gymnadenia (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Aschehoug.
  14. Undset, Sigrid (1931). The Wild Orchid. Translated by Chater, Arthur G. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

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