Pomatocalpa, commonly known as bladder orchids, or 鹿角兰属 (lu jiao lan shu), is a genus of about twenty five species from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are epiphytes or lithophytes with thick, leathery leaves and a large number of small flowers with a three-lobed labellum. There are about twenty five species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the south-west Pacific.
Description
Orchids in the genus Pomatocalpa are monopodial epiphytic or lithophytic herbs with long, thick roots attached to the substrate, with fibrous stems and long-lasting leaves arranged in two rows with their bases obscuring the stems. A large number of relatively small flowers are arranged on a panicle or raceme and with sepals and petals that are similar to each other and a labellum that has three lobes.
Taxonomy and naming
The genus Pomatocalpa was first formally described in 1829 by Breda in Genera et Species Orchidearum et Asclepiadearum. The type species is Pomatocalpa spicatum. The name Pomatocalpa is derived from the Ancient Greek words pomatos meaning "cover", "lid", "operculum" or "gill-cover" and kalpe meaning "vessel for drawing water", "pitcher" or "urn", referring to the deeply pouched labellum.
Species list: The following is a list of species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of December 2018:
Pomatocalpa angustifolium Seidenf. - Thailand, Vietnam
Pomatocalpa arachnanthe (Ridl.) J.J.Sm. - Malaysia
Pomatocalpa armigerum (King & Pantl.) Tang & F.T.Wang - Assam, Bhutan
Pomatocalpa bambusarum (King & Pantl.) Garay - Assam, Bhutan
Pomatocalpa bhutanicum N.P.Balakr. - Bhutan
Pomatocalpa bicolor (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - Philippines
Pomatocalpa decipiens (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
Pomatocalpa diffusum Breda - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines
Pomatocalpa floresanum J.J.Sm. - Flores
Pomatocalpa fuscum (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines
Pomatocalpa grande Seidenf. - Vietnam
Pomatocalpa incurvum (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. - New Guinea, Solomons
Pomatocalpa kunstleri (Hook.f.) J.J.Sm. - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines Pomatocalpa leucanthum (Schltr.) Schltr. - New Guinea Pomatocalpa linearipetalum J.J.Sm. - Seram Pomatocalpa macphersonii (F.Muell.) T.E.Hunt - New Guinea, Queensland Pomatocalpa maculosum (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - widespread from Sri Lanka and Bhutan to Java and the Philippines Pomatocalpa maculosum subsp. andamanicum (Hook.f.) Watthana Pomatocalpa maculosum subsp. maculosum Pomatocalpa marsupiale (Kraenzl.) J.J.Sm. - Queensland, Maluku, Sulawesi, New Guinea, Solomons, Vanuatu Pomatocalpa parvum (Ridl.) J.J.Sm. - Pahang Pomatocalpa simalurense J.J.Sm . - Simeuluë Pomatocalpa sphaetophorum (Schltr.) J.J.Sm. - Borneo Pomatocalpa spicatum Breda, Kuhl & Hasselt - Hainan, Assam, Bhutan, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines Pomatocalpa tonkinense (Gagnep.) Seidenf. - Vietnam, Laos Pomatocalpa truncatum (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. - Borneo Pomatocalpa undulatum (Lindl.) J.J.Sm - Assam, Bangladesh, Taiwan Pomatocalpa undulatum subsp. acuminatum (Rolfe) Watthana Pomatocalpa undulatum subsp. undulatum
Distribution
Species in the genus Pomatocalpa are found from tropical and substropical Asia to the southwest Pacific.