Taxon	Illustrator ⠉
	Ponthieva racemosa Pseudorchis albida subsp. straminea Galearis spectabilis	Barbara Alongi Barbara Alongi Barbara Alongi

Herbs, terrestrial, rarely epiphytic, sympodial. Roots fasciculate, fleshy, villous. Stems simple, rhizomatous. Leaves mostly basal, subsessile to petiolate; blade not articulate, thin, delicate. Inflorescences terminal, few to many-flowered racemes; peduncles bracteate, glandular-pubescent. Flowers not resupinate, erect or suberect, dishlike; perianth spreading; dorsal sepal lightly adherent to petals at apex; lateral sepals distinct or connate; petals free or adnate to basal flanks of column, obliquely triangular, clawed, conspicuous, often forming “pseudolip”; lip adnate to base of column, distinctly to obscurely clawed, deeply concave, fleshy; column semiterete, dilated and slightly winged distally, short, apex pointed; anther adaxial, erect behind rostellum; pollinia 4, bright-yellow, clavate, joined in pairs, firm but somewhat mealy, attached to caudicles; stigma entire; viscidium terminal; pedicellate ovary pubescent. Fruits capsules, suberect, ellipsoid [obovoid].

Distribution

Tropical and subtropical, North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America

Discussion

Species 25 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Ponthieva brittoniae, Ponthieva racemosa

Key

1	Perianth more than 5 mm; petals conspicuously striped green, 3.5–5 mm wide; lip distinctly clawed, suborbiculate; leaves present at anthesis; shady broadleaf forests.	Ponthieva racemosa
1	Perianth less than 5 mm; petals not conspicuously striped green, 1.5 mm wide; lip indistinctly clawed, obovate; leaves withering or absent at anthesis; open pinelands.	Ponthieva brittoniae

"thin" is not a number.