ODISHA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE & TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, BHUBANESWAR

DEPARTMENT OF FLORICULTURE AND LANDSCAPING

ASSIGNMENT ON – FLORAL BIOLOGY AND TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTION
OF ORCHIDACEAE

SYSTEMATICS OF ORNAMENTAL PLANTS (FLS – 501)

SUBMITTED BY –
NAME – SIPRA BISWAL
ADMISSION NO. – 231221803
1 YEAR M.Sc.(Ag) Floriculture and landscaping
ST
The family Orchidaceae belongs to the:

Phylum: Angiospermae Sub-phylum: Monocotyledones

Division: Corolliferae Order: Orchidales

The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is the second largest family of flowering plants, with
about 450 genera and some 10,000-15,0000 species distributed nearly worldwide.
Orchids are perennial herbs and feature unusual bilaterally symmetric flowers, with
masses of pollen known as pollinia, and tiny, dust like seeds. Many are grown as
ornamentals for their showy flowers, and several are of economic importance as the
source of the flavouring vanilla.
 Family Description

: Distribution:They are distributed throughout the world in the temperate

and tropical regions. They are found most abundantly in the tropical
regions, where the majority of genera are epiphytes. The genera found in
the temperate and arctic regions are mostly terrestrial. The largest genera
are Spiranthes, Habenaria, Cypripedium, Listera and Epidendrum. In India,
about 1600 species are found in the Himalayas and other hills.
Habit: Perennial terrestrial, succulent, scapose herbs; many are epiphytic or
saprophytic, sometimes climbers Vanilla. The plants may have sympodial or
monopodial construction.

The epiphytic orchids are either sympodial or more rarely monopodial. The
roots of these orchids are of three types: (1) The clinging roots (2) The absorptive
roots (3) The true aerial roots.

All terrestrial orchids are sympodial and possess a short rhizome. In most of the
species, the internode of the stem becomes thickened and is known as a pseudo-bulb.
Root: Adventitious, tuberous, (Orchis), fleshy, climbing or aerial. Main roots always
absent.

Stem: Erect, sometimes climbing or trailing, annual in terrestrial forms, perennial in

epiphytic forms; generally thickened into rhizome or pseudobulbs (Phajus,
Bulbophyllum), bearing aerial assimilatory roots. (Taeniophyllum).

Leaf: Simple, alternate, sometimes opposite or whorled, usually fleshy, linear

to ovate, sheathing base, sometimes reduced to achlorophyllous

Inflorescence
: Solitary or spike, racemes or panicle (Oncidium).

Flower: Flowers are of variable and peculiar, shape, size and colour, often showy,
bracteate, zygomorphic, bisexual or rarely unisexual, eipgynous, trimerous, mostly
. resupinate i.e. twisted to 180° or upside down.
 Perianth: Tepals 6, in two whorls of each, outer 3 tapals (representing
calyx) green; inner 3 tepals coloured (representing corolla), dissimilar-the 2 lateral or
wings like, the third posterior tepals is lightly modified often projected basally the
labellum or lip; broad, shoe-like spursed, tubular, strap-shaped or butterfly shaped or
variously branched and contributing most to the oddity and beauty of the flower.

The labellum is actually posterior it comes to lie on the anterior side of the flower due
to twisting (or resupinationl) of the inferior ovary through 180° or by the bending back
of pedicel over the apex of the stem

ANDROECIUM
Stamens 3, which unite with the pistil to form a column, the gynandrium
or gynostemium opposite to the labellum; functional stamen (Orchis) or 2
(Cypripedium), bithecous, introrse; pollen granular or coherent in each
cell into one, 2 or 4 stalked pollen masses or pollinia.
 GYNOECIUM:
Tricarpellary, syncarpous, ovary inferior, unilocular, parietal placentation, rarely
trilocular and axile placentation (Apostasia); stigmas 3, of which 2 lateral are often
fertile, the third stigma is sterile forming a small beaked outgrowth – the rostellum
lying in the centre of column between the anther and fertile stigma. In Cypripedium
and Paphiopedium, all the 3 stigmas are functional.

Fruit: It is a capsule, opening by three to six longitudinal slits.

Seeds: The seeds are numerous and very minute in size, which may easily be blown
away by wind from one place to another.

Pollination: It takes place through the agency of insects (entomophilous).

 Common plants of the family:

1. Calanthe (Gk. calos-beautiful, anthos-flower)-beautiful flowers, occurs in the hills of

S. India.

2. Cattleya – Corsage orchid, cultivated for showy flowers.

3. Corallorhiza – Coral-root orchid, a saprophyte with branched and fleshly rhizome.

4. Vanilla planifolia – Vanilla orchid, cultivated in S. India for perfumery &

confectionary.

5. Vanda roxburghii R. Br., an epiphytic herb commonly found on mango trees.

6. Zeuxine sulcata Lindl., a common terrestrial grass­-like herb.

7. Dendrobium is found on the hills as well as in the Sundri­bans; D. nobile Lindl. is one
 Calanthe Cattleya Corallorhiza

Vanilla Orchid Vanda Dendrobium

 Division of the family and chief genera:

The Orchidaceae is divided into two sub-families:

Sub-family I. Diandroideae:

Stamens 2 belonging to the lateral members of the inner whorl, the 3rd of the same
is modified to a staminode placed above the anthers; the members of the outer whorl
of androecium are either suppressed or represented as staminodes. Stigmas 3, fertile.

This subfamily has only one tribe.

Tribe (i) CYPRIPEDEAE. Genera: Paphiopedilum, Cypripedium. etc.

Subfamily II. Monandrae:

Stamen is only 1 belonging to the outer whorl, all others are suppressed, sometimes
the lateral members of the outer whorl are represented as staminodes, this has been
further divided into groups, tribes and subtribes.

Group A. Basitonae:
Caudicle and viscidium arising from the base of pollinia; anthers erect or turned more
or less to the angle 180 (resupinate), very closely attached to the wide based column,
never deciduous after flowering. Pollinia not wax.
Tribe (i) Ophrydeae. Genera: Habenaria, Orchis,
etc.

Group B. Acrotonae:
Caudicle and viscidium arising from the tip of the pollinia; anthers erect or incumbent,
filament sort, slender, usually narrowly attached to the column, deciduous, if
persistent then very early drying. The Acrotonae is further subdivided into many tribes
and subtribes.
 Description of some important plants in semi-technical
language

1.Vanda roxburghi; R. Br; Verna. Rasna

Habit: Ephiphytic herbs

Root: Adventitious aerial roots.

Stem: Leafy or scapose, monopodially branched.

Leaves: Simple, alternate, exstipulate, fleshy, linear, distichous, leaf sheath present
which surrounds the stem, the axis is very short and the leaves appear to come out
from the substratum; margin entire, apex acute to obtuse, parallel venation.

Inflorescence: Racemose, raceme

Flower: Pedicellate, bracteates, hermaphrodite, medianly zygomorphic, irregular,

 Perianth: 6 tepals arranged in two whorls of three each, outer whorl
calyx-like, inner whorl makes corolla, polyphyllous, imbricate, tepals of each whorl are
different in size, shape and even in colour from the lateral segments; one of the tepals
of inner whorl becomes much enlarged, the labellum; labellum prolonged backward
into a spur which collects nectar.

Androecium: 6 in two whorls of 3 each, never all stamens present; Vanda one
stamen present which unites to an extension of the gynoecium forming a column;
anthers bicelled, introrse, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; pollen grains granular and
bound up by elastic threads of viscin forming two pollinia.

Fruit: Capsule

Seeds: Numerous, very minute.

Floral formula: Br, % ♀♂ P3 + 3 A1 G(3)

 Economic Importance of Orchidaceae:

1. Food: During scarcity the tuberous roots of Habenaria susannae and Orchis latifolia
are used as food.

2. Flavour: The capsules of Vanilla planifolia V. fragrans yield commercial ‘Vanilla’ a

flavouring agent for chocolate and confectionary.

3. Medicine: The root-stocks of Eulophia epidendraeas are used as vermifage.

4. Dye: The leaves of Calanthe veratrifolia contain a glycoside ‘indican’, which on

hydrolysis yields ‘indigo blue’.

5. Ornamentals: Many orchids are cultivated in the green houses for their beautiful
sweet-scented flowers of various forms, shapes with highly attractive labellum of
various hues and bright clours.

Hence, extensively grown from a commercial point of view. Some commonly grown
orchids are – Cypripedium (lady’s slipper), Epidendrum (Green-fly orchid) Habenaria
(fringe- orchid), Oncidium (butterfly orchid), Vanda, Vanilla, Odontoglossum (lady
orchid).
 Affinities of Orchidaceae:

Orchidaceae was included by Bentham and Hooker as the third family of Mocrosporae
at the beginning of the Monocotyledons. Hutchinson (1959), Takhtajan (1969) and
Cronquist (1981) placed the family under the order Orchidales. Thorne (1983), placed
Orchidaceae under the suborder Orchidineae of the order Liliales.

The Orchidaceae is related to the epigynous components of the Liliiflorae (Liliales). The
Orchidaceae has beerl also believed to arise from the Musaceae or its ancestor.

Several taxonomists consider Orchidaceae to be the most advanced and highest

evolved among monocotyledons.
Thank you!