Peacock orchid
Encyclopedia
Peacock orchids are a small group of beautiful, predominantly terrestrial
but sometimes epiphytic
or lithophytic
, miniature orchids. This genus is named after Pleione
, mother of the Pleiades
(in Greek mythology
) and comprises about 20 species
. Other common names of this genus include glory of the East, Himalayan crocus, Indian crocus and windowsill orchid. The genus Diploconchium Schauer
is generally included here. The Gladiolus callianthus
is also sometimes commonly referred to as a "peacock orchid," however it has no relation to the pleione flower. The genus Pleione is abbreviated Pln in trade journals.
They are distributed in the mountains and foothills of Himalaya, India
, Burma, Thailand
, Laos
, Vietnam
, and China
and are well adapted to cold temperatures and even frost. A few, however, prefer warmer temperatures. They grow in well-drained habitats and on rocks covered with moss at altitudes between 600 and 4200 m.
The sympodial
growth habit of terrestrial Pleione orchids is unusual. They have relatively large, spongy, almost globular or ampulliform pseudobulb
s, narrowed at the apex. Every pseudobulb is only active for one year and carries one or two pleated parallel-veined leaves
, with a length of 15-30 cm. These drop off before winter. The pseudobulb stays dormant, till a new one starts to develop. This one produces new roots and a short pedicel. This pseudobulb remains active till the end of the bloom. Then the whole cycle starts all over again.
The big, showy flower
s originate from new shoots formed at the base of the pseudobulb
. They are pink to purplish, white or yellow, while the fringed, tubular lip
is often paler or white, with yellow, red or purple dots and stripes. The flowers of the mountain species start blooming in spring, while the new shoots develop. The flowers of the orchids, growing in warmer climates, bloom in autumn, when the leaves have dropped.
They are very closely related to the equally beautiful genus Coelogyne
and were once considered part of it.
They are easily grown by the layman, easy to propagate and are among the most popular orchids. They are much in demand for hybridization.
It has been suggested that P. bulbocodioides, P. limprichtii and P. pleionoides could all be the same species.
Currently, there are two sections in the genus Pleione
Terrestrial plant
A terrestrial plant is one that grows on land. Other types of plants are aquatic , epiphytic , lithophytes and aerial ....
but sometimes epiphytic
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
or lithophytic
Lithophyte
Lithophytes are a type of plant that grows in or on rocks. Lithophytes feed off moss, nutrients in rain water, litter, and even their own dead tissue....
, miniature orchids. This genus is named after Pleione
Pleione (mythology)
Pleione was an Oceanid nymph. She lived in a southern region of Greece called Arcadia, on a mountain named Mount Kyllini. She married Atlas and gave birth to the Hyades, Hyas and the Pleiades.-The Pleiades:...
, mother of the Pleiades
Pleiades (mythology)
The Pleiades , companions of Artemis, were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione born on Mount Cyllene. They are the sisters of Calypso, Hyas, the Hyades, and the Hesperides...
(in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
) and comprises about 20 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Other common names of this genus include glory of the East, Himalayan crocus, Indian crocus and windowsill orchid. The genus Diploconchium Schauer
Johannes Conrad Schauer
Johannes Conrad Schauer was a botanist interested in Spermatophytes. He was a professor of botany at the University of Greifswald. Amongst his published works are descriptions of the myrtles of Western Australia.-References:...
is generally included here. The Gladiolus callianthus
Gladiolus
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family...
is also sometimes commonly referred to as a "peacock orchid," however it has no relation to the pleione flower. The genus Pleione is abbreviated Pln in trade journals.
They are distributed in the mountains and foothills of Himalaya, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Burma, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and are well adapted to cold temperatures and even frost. A few, however, prefer warmer temperatures. They grow in well-drained habitats and on rocks covered with moss at altitudes between 600 and 4200 m.
The sympodial
Sympodial
Sympodial means "with conjoined feet", and in biology is often used to refer to the outward morphology or mode of growth of organisms.-In botany:...
growth habit of terrestrial Pleione orchids is unusual. They have relatively large, spongy, almost globular or ampulliform pseudobulb
Pseudobulb
The pseudobulb is a storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.It applies to the orchid family , specifically certain groups of epiphytic orchids, and may be single or composed of several internodes with evergreen or deciduous leaves along its length.In some species, it is...
s, narrowed at the apex. Every pseudobulb is only active for one year and carries one or two pleated parallel-veined leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, with a length of 15-30 cm. These drop off before winter. The pseudobulb stays dormant, till a new one starts to develop. This one produces new roots and a short pedicel. This pseudobulb remains active till the end of the bloom. Then the whole cycle starts all over again.
The big, showy flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s originate from new shoots formed at the base of the pseudobulb
Pseudobulb
The pseudobulb is a storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.It applies to the orchid family , specifically certain groups of epiphytic orchids, and may be single or composed of several internodes with evergreen or deciduous leaves along its length.In some species, it is...
. They are pink to purplish, white or yellow, while the fringed, tubular lip
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
is often paler or white, with yellow, red or purple dots and stripes. The flowers of the mountain species start blooming in spring, while the new shoots develop. The flowers of the orchids, growing in warmer climates, bloom in autumn, when the leaves have dropped.
They are very closely related to the equally beautiful genus Coelogyne
Coelogyne
Coelogyne Lindl. 1821, is a genus of over 200 sympodial epiphytes from the family Orchidaceae, distributed across India, China, Indonesia and the Fiji islands, with the main centers in Borneo, Sumatra and the Himalayas. They can be found from tropical lowland forests to montane rainforests. A few...
and were once considered part of it.
They are easily grown by the layman, easy to propagate and are among the most popular orchids. They are much in demand for hybridization.
Species
- Pleione albiflora (China - W. Yunnan to N. Burma).
- Pleione aurita (China - W. Yunnan).
- Pleione braemii (China - Yunnan).
- Pleione bulbocodioides (C. China to SE. Tibet)
- Pleione chuniiPleione chuniiPleione chunii is a species of plant in the Orchidaceae family. It is endemic to southern China.-Source:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
(S. China). - Pleione coronaria (C. Nepal).
- Pleione formosanaPleione formosanaPleione formosana, commonly called the Taiwan Pleione, is a species of plant in the Orchidaceae family. It occurs in southeastern China as well as northern and central Taiwan.-Source:...
: Taiwan Pleione (SE. China, N. & C. Taiwan). - Pleione forrestiiPleione forrestiiPleione forrestii is a species of plant in the Orchidaceae family. It occurs from China to northern Myanmar.-Source:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
(China - NW. Yunnan)- to N. Burma). - Pleione grandiflora (China (- S. Yunnan to NW. Vietnam).
- Pleione hookeriana (Nepal to China - SE. Yunnan to N. Guangdong- to Indo-China)
- Pleione humilis (C. Himalaya to Burma).
- Pleione limprichtiiPleione limprichtiiPleione limprichtii, commonly called the Hardy Chinese Orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to China ....
: Hardy Chinese Orchid (China - C. Sichuan). - Pleione maculata (C. Himalaya to China - W. Yunnan).
- Pleione microphylla (China - Guangdong).
- Pleione pleionoidesPleione pleionoidesPleione pleionoides is a species of plant in the Orchidaceae family. It is endemic to central China.-Source:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
(C. China). - Pleione praecoxPleione praecoxPleione praecox is a species of orchid found from the west-central Himalaya to China . It is the type species of the genus Pleione....
(WC. Himalaya to China - S. Yunnan). (type species) - Pleione saxicola (E. Bhutan to China - NW. Yunnan).
- Pleione scopulorum (India - NE. Arunachal Pradesh to China - NW. Yunnan).
- Pleione vietnamensis (SC. Vietnam).
- Pleione yunnanensis (SC. China to N. Burma).
It has been suggested that P. bulbocodioides, P. limprichtii and P. pleionoides could all be the same species.
Currently, there are two sections in the genus Pleione
- section Pleione (includes the autumn-flowered species) : P. x lagenaria, P. maculata, P. praecox, and P. saxicola.
- section Humiles (includes the spring-flowering species) : P. albiflora, P. bulbocodioides, P. chunii, P. x confusa, P. coronaria, P. formosana, P. forrestii,¨P. grandiflora, P. hookeriana, P. praecox, P. x kohlsii, P. limprichtii, P. pleionoides, P. scopulorum, P. yunnanensis.
Natural Hybrids
- Pleione × barbarae (P. bulbocodioides × P. grandiflora) (China - SE. Yunnan to N. Vietnam).
- Pleione × christianii (P. yunnanensis × P. forrestii) (China - W. Yunnan).
- Pleione × confusa (P. albiflora × P. forrestii) (China - W. Yunnan).
- Pleione × kohlsii (P. aurita × P. forrestii) (China - W. Yunnan).
- Pleione × lagenaria (P. maculata × P. praecox).(Assam to China - W. Yunnan).
- Pleione × taliensis (P. bulbocodioides × P. yunnanensis) (China - W. Yunnan).