Pseudovanilla Explained

Pseudovanilla, commonly known as giant climbing orchids, is a genus of eight climbing orchids in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus have tall climbing stems with clinging roots, leaf-like bracts and branching flowering stems with colourful, spreading sepals and petals. Species in the genus are native to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, Solomons, Micronesia and Fiji.^[1]

The genus was first formally described in 1986 by Leslie Andrew Garay in Botanical Museum Leaflets, the name Pseudovanilla meaning "false vanilla", a "reference to the casual similarity of the plants to both genera". Garay nominated Ledgeria foliata (now Pseudovanilla foliata as the type species.^[2]

List of species

The following is a list of species of Pseudovanilla recognised by the Plants of the World Online as at April 2024:^[3]

• Pseudovanilla affinis (J.J.Sm.) Garay (1986) - Java
• Pseudovanilla anomala (Ames & L.O.Williams) Garay (1986) - Fiji
• Pseudovanilla foliata (F.Muell.) Garay (1986) - Queensland, New South Wales, New Guinea
• Pseudovanilla gracilis (Schltr.) Garay (1986) - New Guinea, Solomon Islands
• Pseudovanilla montigena (Schltr.) Ormerod (2001) - New Guinea
• Pseudovanilla philippinensis (Ames) Garay (1986) - Luzon
• Pseudovanilla ponapensis (Kaneh. & Yamam.) Garay (1986) - Pohnpei
• Pseudovanilla ternatensis (J.J.Sm.) Garay (1986) - Ternate Island

Notes and References

1. Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2003). Genera Orchidacearum 3: 319. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
2. Garay . Leslie A. . Olim Vanillaceae. . Botanical Museum Leaflets . 1986 . 30 . 4 . 234–237 . 4 April 2024.
3. Web site: Pseudovanilla . Plants of the World Online . 4 April 2024.