Peristylus
Introduction '''''Peristylus''''', sometimes commonly known as '''ogre orchids''' or '''bog orchids''' is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It consists of over 100 known species found across much of eastern and southern Asia as well as in Australia and on many islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ''Peristylus tentaculatus''1824 illustration
Description Orchids in the genus ''Peristylis'' are terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herbs with paired fleshy tubers and thread-like, unbranched roots. The stems are upright and unbranched. The leaves are arranged in a rosette at the base of the plants or near the centre of the stem. The flowers are resupinate, usually small, often crowded, white, green or yellowish and usually only last a few days. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap to form a hood over the column. The labellum has a spur and usually three lobes which may be short or long and threadlike. The distinguishing feature of the genus is the presence of two club-shaped projections on the stigma. In many respects, plants in this genus are similar to those in ''Habenaria'', only differing in the structure of the column.
Taxonomy and naming The genus ''Peristylus'' was first formally described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume and the description was published in ''Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië ''. The genus ''Peristylus'' is derived from the Greek words ''peri'' meaning 'around', and ''stylos'' 'column', referring to the arms on each side of the column.
Distribution Orchids in the genus '' Peristylus'' are found in Japan, China, Mongolia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Polynesia and Australia.
Species , the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepted the following species:* ''Peristylus affinis'' (D.Don) Seidenf. – Himalaya to S. China and Indo-China* ''Peristylus aliformis'' (C.Schweinf.) Renz & Vodonaivalu – Fiji* ''Peristylus alpinipaludosus'' (P.Royen) Schuit. & de Vogel – W. New Guinea* ''Peristylus aristatus'' Lindl. – Indian Subcontinent to Myanmar* ''Peristylus balaenolabium'' Ormerod – Sumatera* ''Peristylus balakrishnanii'' Karthig., Sumathi & Jayanthi – S. Andaman Islands* ''Peristylus banfieldii'' (F.M.Bailey) Lavarack – N. & N.E. Queensland* ''Peristylus biermannianus'' (King & Pantl.) X.H.Jin – Central & E. Himalaya* ''Peristylus bismarckiensis'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – Papua New Guinea* ''Peristylus brachyphyllus'' A.Rich. – S. India* ''Peristylus brassii'' Ormerod – W. New Guinea* ''Peristylus brevicalcar'' Carr – Borneo (Gunung Kinabalu)* ''Peristylus brevilobus'' Thwaites – Sri Lanka* ''Peristylus calcaratus'' (Rolfe) S.Y.Hu – E. Nepal, S. China to Vietnam, Taiwan* ''Peristylus carnosipetalus'' Kurzweil – N. Thailand* ''Peristylus carolinensis'' (Schltr.) Tuyama – Caroline Islands* ''Peristylus chapaensis'' (Gagnep.) Seidenf. – N. Vietnam* ''Peristylus chlorandrellus'' D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Queensland* ''Peristylus ciliatus'' Carr – Borneo (Gunung Kinabalu)* ''Peristylus ciliolatus'' J.J.Sm. – New Guinea* ''Peristylus citrinus'' (Thouars) Lindl. – Mascarenes* ''Peristylus commersonianus'' Lindl. – Réunion* ''Peristylus constrictus'' (Lindl.) Lindl. – Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China* ''Peristylus cryptostylus'' (Rchb.f.) Ormerod – Society Islands* ''Peristylus cubitalis'' (L.) Kraenzl. – India to Myanmar* ''Peristylus cymbochilus'' Renz – Papua New Guinea* ''Peristylus densus'' (Lindl.) Santapau & Kapadia – Indian Subcontinent to S. China, S. Korea, S. Central & S. Japan to Nansei-shoto* ''Peristylus djampangensis'' J.J.Sm. – Jawa* ''Peristylus elbertii'' J.J.Sm. – Lesser Sunda Islands* ''Peristylus flexuosus'' (Thouars) S.Moore – Mascarenes* ''Peristylus formosanus'' (Schltr.) T.P.Lin – Central Nansei-shoto to Taiwan* ''Peristylus gardneri'' (Hook.f.) Kraenzl. – Sri Lanka* ''Peristylus goodyeroides'' (D.Don) Lindl. – Tropical & Subtrop. Asia* ''Peristylus gracilis'' Blume – Assam to Taiwan (Lan Yü) and Malesia* ''Peristylus grandis'' Blume – Thailand (Ko Tarutao) to New Guinea* ''Peristylus hallieri'' J.J.Sm. – Borneo* ''Peristylus hamiltonianus'' (Lindl.) Lindl. – Central & E. Himalaya to Thailand* ''Peristylus hatusimanus'' T.Hashim. – Japan (Kyushu)* ''Peristylus holochila'' (Hillebr.) N.Hallé – Hawaiian Islands* ''Peristylus holttumianus'' Seidenf. ex Aver. – S. Vietnam* ''Peristylus holttumii'' Seidenf. – S. Indo-China to Peninsula Malaysia* ''Peristylus hylophiloides'' Ormerod – Philippines* ''Peristylus intrudens'' (Ames) Ormerod – Central Nepal, Indo-China, China (Hong Kong), C. Taiwan, Philippines (Luzon)* ''Peristylus iyoensis'' Ohwi – E. Nepal, N. Thailand, S. Korea, S. Central & S. Japan, Central & S. Taiwan* ''Peristylus jinchuanicus'' K.Y.Lang – China (W. Sichuan, N.W. Yunnan)* ''Peristylus kerrii'' Seidenf. – N. Thailand* ''Peristylus kinabaluensis'' Carr – Borneo (Gunung Kinabalu)* ''Peristylus korinchensis'' Ridl. – Sumatera* ''Peristylus kumaonensis'' Renz – W. Himalaya* ''Peristylus lacertifer'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. – Central Himalaya to S. Japan and W. Malesia* ''Peristylus lancifolius'' A.Rich. – S. India* ''Peristylus latilobus'' J.J.Sm. – E. Jawa* ''Peristylus lawii'' Wight – Himalaya to India* ''Peristylus listeroides'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea* ''Peristylus lombokensis'' J.J.Sm. – Lesser Sunda Islands* ''Peristylus macer'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea* ''Peristylus maculifer'' (C.Schweinf.) Renz & Vodonaivalu – Vanuatu, Fiji (Vanua Levu)* ''Peristylus maingayi'' (King & Pantl.) J.J.Wood & Ormerod – S. Indo-China to N. Queensland* ''Peristylus minimiflorus'' (Kraenzl.) N.Hallé – New Caledonia (Î. des Pins), Futuna, Cook Islands* ''Peristylus minimus'' Kurzweil & Tripetch – Thailand* ''Peristylus monticola'' (Ridl.) Seidenf. – Andaman Islands, Malesia to New Guinea* ''Peristylus mucronatus'' J.J.Sm. – Maluku (Seram)* ''Peristylus nanus'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea* ''Peristylus norumbus'' Ormerod – Papua New Guinea* ''Peristylus novoebudarum'' F.Muell. – S.W. Pacific* ''Peristylus nymanianus'' Kraenzl. – New Guinea* ''Peristylus ovariophorus'' (Schltr.) Carr – Borneo (Sarawak)* ''Peristylus pachyneuroides'' Renz – Papua New Guinea* ''Peristylus pachyneurus'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea* ''Peristylus palawensis'' (Tuyama) Tuyama – Caroline Islands* ''Peristylus parishii'' Rchb.f. – Indian Subcontinent to S. China and Indo-China* ''Peristylus phuwuanensis'' Kurzweil – N.E. Thailand* ''Peristylus plantagineus'' (Lindl.) Lindl. – India, Sri Lanka* ''Peristylus ponerostachys'' (Rchb.f.) Ormerod – Philippines (Leyte, Mindanao)* ''Peristylus prainii'' (Hook.f.) Kraenzl. – Central Himalaya to Indo-China* ''Peristylus pseudophrys'' (King & Pantl.) Kraenzl. – Sikkim (Chungthang)* ''Peristylus reticulatus'' (Ames) Ormerod – Philippines (Luzon: Mt. Pulogloko)* ''Peristylus richardianus'' Wight – E. Nepal, S. India* ''Peristylus rigidus'' Kurzweil – N. Thailand* ''Peristylus rindjaniensis'' J.J.Sm. – Lesser Sunda Islands* ''Peristylus sahanii'' Kumar, G.S.Rawat & Jalal – N.E. India* ''Peristylus secundus'' (Lindl.) Rathakr. – S. India* ''Peristylus setifer'' Tuyama – Caroline Islands* ''Peristylus silvicola'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea* ''Peristylus societatis'' (Drake) N.Hallé – Society Islands* ''Peristylus spathulatus'' J.J.Sm. – Borneo* ''Peristylus spiralis'' A.Rich. – S.W. India, Sri Lanka* ''Peristylus staminodiatus'' J.J.Sm. – Sulawesi* ''Peristylus stenodon'' (Rchb.f.) Kores – Vanuatu* ''Peristylus stocksii'' (Hook.f.) Kraenzl. – W. India* ''Peristylus subaphyllus'' (Gagnep.) Seidenf. – Cambodia* ''Peristylus tentaculatus'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. – S. China to Hainan* ''Peristylus tenuicallus'' Ormerod – Vietnam* ''Peristylus timorensis'' (Ridl.) J.J.Wood & Ormerod – Lesser Sunda Islands* ''Peristylus tipulifer'' (C.S.P.Parish & Rchb.f.) Mukerjee – India (Kerala), Central Himalaya to China (Yunnan) and Indo-China* ''Peristylus tobensis'' J.J.Sm. – N. Sumatera* ''Peristylus tradescantiifolius'' (Rchb.f.) Kores – Maluku to S.W. Pacific* ''Peristylus triaena'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea to Solomon Islands* ''Peristylus tricallosus'' J.J.Sm. – Sulawesi* ''Peristylus trimenii'' (Hook.f.) Abeyw. – Sri Lanka* ''Peristylus umbonatus'' (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt – New Guinea* ''Peristylus unguiculatus'' J.J.Sm. – Borneo* ''Peristylus wheatleyi'' P.J.Cribb & B.A.Lewis – Vanuatu* ''Peristylus whistleri'' P.J.Cribb – Samoa
See also * List of Orchidaceae genera
References *Berg Pana, H. 2005. ''Handbuch der Orchideen-Namen. Dictionary of Orchid Names. Dizionario dei nomi delle orchidee''. Ulmer, Stuttgart
External links *** ''Peristylus'' in Australia* IOSPE orchid photos, Peristylus affinis * Flowers of India, Stocks's Peristylus, ''Peristylus stocksii'' * Phyto Images, ''Peristylus'', 9 images* Orchidiana, ''Peristylus copelandii''