Cleisocentron is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.Brühl, Paul Johannes. 1926. Guide to the Orchids of Sikkim 136 It has a disjunct distribution, known from the Himalayas, Vietnam, China and Borneo.
Description
The species of this genus are tropical epiphytes with a pendent or erect habit. The leaves may be terete or broad. Both types of leaves may occur on the same specimen, as some species exhibit leaf polymorphy.Pridgeon, A., Cribb, P., Chase, M., & Rasmussen, F. (2014). "Genera Orchidacearum Volume 6: Epidendroideae (Part 3)." pp. 158-161 OUP Oxford. Three species have blue flowers, but other colours, such as pink and white also occur.
Cytology The diploid chromosome count is 2n = 38.Genera Orchidacearum: Volume 1: Apostasioideae and Cypripedioideae. p. 72. (1999). Vereinigtes Königreich: OUP Oxford.
Etymology The generic name is derived from the Greek kleistos meaning closed, as well as kentron meaning spur.Teoh, E.S. (2021). Cleisocentron Bruhl.. In: Orchid Species from Himalaya and Southeast Asia Vol. 1 (A - E). pp 199–201. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58872-4_30 The name relates to the morphology of the spurred labellum.
Ecology Pollination There have been reports of pollination or visitation by ants, which was observed during field expeditions in Borneo.Pugh-Jones, S. (2021, May 29). Cleisocentron gokusingii – 365 days of orchids – day 1616. WSBEorchids. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://wsbeorchids.org/2021/cleisocentron-gokusingii-365-days-of-orchids-day-1616/Robinson, J. (2022, March 9). PLANTS BEHAVING BADLY. KPBS Public Media. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/may/02/plants-behaving-badly/ Alternatively, there have been speculations, that the nectariferous flowers are pollinated by butterflies.Chase, M., Christenhusz, M., Mirenda, T., & Ivy Press (2017). "The Book of Orchids: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from Around the World." p. 555. University of Chicago Press.
Taxonomy It was published by Paul Johannes Brühl in 1926Cleisocentron Brühl. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved January 4, 2025, from https://www.ipni.org/n/29059-1 with Cleisocentron trichromum as the type species.Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-e). Cleisocentron Brühl. Tropicos. Retrieved January 4, 2025, from https://www.tropicos.org/name/40009971 Species Eight species are currently recognized: Cleisocentron abasii Cavestro - Sabah Cleisocentron gokusingii J.J.Wood & A.L.Lamb - Sabah Cleisocentron kinabaluense Metusala & J.J.Wood - Sabah Cleisocentron klossii (Ridl.) Garay - Vietnam Cleisocentron malipoense (Z.J.Liu & L.J.Chen) R.Rice - Malipo, Yunnan, China Cleisocentron merrillianum (Ames) Christenson - Sabah Cleisocentron neglectum M.J.Mathew & J.Mathew - India (Karnataka) Cleisocentron pallens (Cathcart ex Lindl.) N.Pearce & P.J.Cribb - eastern Himalayas (Sikkim, Bhutan, Assam, India)
Formerly included species Cleisocentron collettianum (King & Pantl.) Garay is now considered a synonym of Robiquetia pachyphylla (Rchb.f.) Garay.
Horticulture Cleisocentron is rarely found in cultivation. However, they are easy to cultivate. Numerous intergeneric hybrids with Cleisocentron have been described.
See also List of Orchidaceae genera
References
External links