Anacamptis
Encyclopedia
Anacamptis is a genus
from the orchid family
(Orchidaceae
); it is often abbreviated as Ant in horticulture
. This genus was established by Louis Claude Richard
in 1817; the type species
is the Pyramidal Orchid
(A. pyramidalis) and it nowadays contains about one-third of the species
placed in the "wastebin genus
" Orchis
before this was split up at the end of the 20th century, among them many that are of hybrid origin. The genus' scientific name is derived from the Greek word anakamptein, meaning "to bend backwards".
These terrestrial orchids occur on grassland
s, limestone
or chalk
deposits, or on dune
s in Eurasia
, from the Mediterranean region to Central Asia
.
(A. pyramidalis), all species of Anacamptis seem to form a clade
around the Green-veined Orchid (A. morio). They have a diploid chromosome
number of 32 or 36. A useful character for distinguishing Anacamptis from Orchis
– where the Green-veined Orchid clade was formerly included – is the basal fusion of the three sepal
s in Anacamptis.
The few bigeneric hybrids are typically between closely related genera, in particular Serapias
. Hybrids between the Pyramidal Orchid and the Early Purple Orchid
(Orchis mascula), found in Cumbria
(UK
) in 1997, proved short-lived because of the highly divergent genomic
lineages of the parents.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
from the orchid family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
); it is often abbreviated as Ant in horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
. This genus was established by Louis Claude Richard
Louis Claude Richard
Louis Claude Marie Richard was a French botanist.Richard was born at Versailles. Between 1781 and 1789 he collected botanical specimens in Central America and the West Indies...
in 1817; the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is the Pyramidal Orchid
Pyramidal orchid
The Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis, is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Genus Anacamptis of the family Orchidaceae...
(A. pyramidalis) and it nowadays contains about one-third of the 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...
placed in the "wastebin genus
Wastebin taxon
Wastebasket taxon is a term used in some taxonomic circles to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by their lack of one or more distinct character states or by their not belonging to one or more other taxa...
" Orchis
Orchis
Orchis is a genus in the orchid family . This genus gets its name from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις orchis, meaning "testicle", from the appearance of the paired subterranean tuberoids....
before this was split up at the end of the 20th century, among them many that are of hybrid origin. The genus' scientific name is derived from the Greek word anakamptein, meaning "to bend backwards".
These terrestrial orchids occur on grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
or chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
deposits, or on dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s in Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, from the Mediterranean region to Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
.
Systematics
Except the Pyramidal OrchidPyramidal orchid
The Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis, is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Genus Anacamptis of the family Orchidaceae...
(A. pyramidalis), all species of Anacamptis seem to form a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
around the Green-veined Orchid (A. morio). They have a diploid chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
number of 32 or 36. A useful character for distinguishing Anacamptis from Orchis
Orchis
Orchis is a genus in the orchid family . This genus gets its name from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις orchis, meaning "testicle", from the appearance of the paired subterranean tuberoids....
– where the Green-veined Orchid clade was formerly included – is the basal fusion of the three sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s in Anacamptis.
The few bigeneric hybrids are typically between closely related genera, in particular Serapias
Serapias
Serapias is a genus of terrestrial orchids that can be found all over southern Europe to Asia Minor. The genus was named after Serapis, a syncretic Hellenistic-Egyptian god in Antiquity....
. Hybrids between the Pyramidal Orchid and the Early Purple Orchid
Early Purple Orchid
Orchis mascula, the Early Purple Orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Orchis.-Etymology:The specific name is derived from the Latin "masculus", meaning "male" or "virile" and it should refer to the robust aspect of this species or to the shape of the tubers, similar to a pair of...
(Orchis mascula), found in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
(UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) in 1997, proved short-lived because of the highly divergent genomic
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
lineages of the parents.
Selected species
- Anacamptis boryi (S Greece, Crete)
- Anacamptis caspia
- Anacamptis champagneuxii (W Mediterranean)
- Anacamptis collinaAnacamptis collinaAnacamptis collina is a species of orchid....
(Mediterranean to S Turkmenistan) - Anacamptis coriophoraAnacamptis coriophoraAnacamptis coriophora is a species of orchid....
(Europe, Mediterranean to W Asia)- Anacamptis coriophora ssp. coriophora (Europe to W Asia)
- Anacamptis coriophora ssp. fragrans (Mediterranean to Iran)
- Anacamptis fragrans (Pollini) R.M.Bateman
- Anacamptis israeliticaAnacamptis israeliticaAnacamptis israelitica is a species of orchid....
(N Israel, Palestine) - Anacamptis laxifloraAnacamptis laxifloraAnacamptis laxiflora is a species of orchid. Wide distribution range in Europe and Asia as far north as in Gotland . Tall plant, grows up to 60 cm high. Found in wet meadows with alcaline soil. Common in Normandy and Brittany , in United Kingdom represented only on Channel Islands, where it is...
(Lam.) R.M. Bateman, Pridgeon & M.W.Chase – Loose-flowered Orchid, Lax-flowered Orchid, Jersey Orchid (WC Europe, Mediterranean to C Asia) - Anacamptis longicornuAnacamptis longicornuAnacamptis longicornu is a species of orchid....
(W & C Mediterranean) - Anacamptis morio – Green-winged OrchidGreen-winged OrchidThe Green-winged Orchid or Green-veined Orchid is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae....
, Green-veined Orchid - Anacamptis palustrisAnacamptis palustrisAnacamptis palustris is a species of orchid....
(Europe, Mediterranean to C Asia)- Anacamptis palustris ssp. elegans (Europe to C Asia)
- Anacamptis palustris ssp. palustris (WC Europe, Mediterranean to Iran)
- Anacamptis palustris ssp. robusta (W Morocco)
- Anacamptis papilionaceaAnacamptis papilionaceaAnacamptis papilionacea is a species of orchid. It is commonly known as Butterfly orchid....
– "butterfly orchidButterfly OrchidButterfly orchid may refer to:* Psychopsis, any species* Sarcochilus, several species* Anacamptis papilionacea * Encyclia tampensis* Epidendrum venosum* Habenaria psycodes* Oncidium papilio...
" (Mediterranean to Iran)- Anacamptis papilionacea var. cyrenaica (NE Libya)
- Anacamptis papilionacea var. papilionacea (Mediterranean to Iran)
- Anacamptis picta (Loiseleur) R.M.Bateman
- Anacamptis pyramidalis – Pyramidal OrchidPyramidal orchidThe Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis, is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Genus Anacamptis of the family Orchidaceae...
- Anacamptis pyramidalis ssp./var. sanguinea – Western Irish Pyramidal Orchid
- Anacamptis pyramidalis ssp./var. tanayensis – Tanay Pyramidal Orchid
- Anacamptis pyramidalis ssp./var. urvilleana – Maltese Pyramidal Orchid
- Anacamptis pyramidalis var. alba
- Anacamptis robusta (T.Stephenson) R.M.Bateman
- Anacamptis sanctaAnacamptis sanctaAnacamptis sancta is a species of orchid....
(E Mediterranean to Caucasus) - Anacamptis syriacaAnacamptis syriacaAnacamptis syriaca is a species of orchid....
(Cyprus, S Turkey to Lebanon)
Selected nothospecies
- Anacamptis × albuferensis (Anacamptis fragrans × A. robusta) (Mallorca)
- Anacamptis × bornemanniae (Anacamptis longicornu × A. papilionacea) (N Africa, Sardinia)
- Anacamptis × duquesnei (Anacamptis palustris × A. pyramidalis) (France)
- Anacamptis × feinbruniae (Anacamptis caspia × A. israelitica)
- Anacamptis × gennarii (Anacamptis morio × A. papilinocea) (W Mediterranean)
- Anacamptis × klingei (Anacamptis laxiflora × A. pyramidalis) (France)
- Anacamptis × laniccae (Anacamptis morio × A. pyramidalis) (Switzerland, France, Italy)
- Anacamptis × lesbiensis (Anacamptis pyramidalis × A. sancta) (E Aegean Islands)
- Anacamptis × simarrensis (Anacamptis fragrans × A. pyramidalis) (France, Italy, Greece)
- Anacamptis × van-lookenii (Anacamptis papilionacea × A. pyramidalis) (France)
Intergeneric hybrids
- ×Anacamptiplatanthera (Anacamptis × PlatantheraPlatantheraThe genus Platanthera belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae of the family Orchidaceae, and comprises about 100 species of orchids. The members of this genus were previously included in the genus Orchis, which is a close relative . They are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the...
) – accepted name - ×Anacamptorchis (Anacamptis × OrchisOrchisOrchis is a genus in the orchid family . This genus gets its name from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις orchis, meaning "testicle", from the appearance of the paired subterranean tuberoids....
) – unplaced name - ×Dactylocamptis (Anacamptis × DactylorhizaDactylorhizaDactylorhiza , is a genus of terrestrial plants in the orchid family ....
) – accepted name - ×Gymnanacamptis (Anacamptis × GymnadeniaGymnadeniaGymnadenia is a genus in the orchid family containing 22 terrestrial species.They can be found in damp meadows, fens and marshes, and on chalk or limestone, often in alpine regions of Europe and Asia up to the Himalayas. The Fragrant Orchid has been introduced into the USA.These hardy terrestrial...
) – accepted name - ×Ophramptis (Anacamptis × OphrysOphrysThe genus Ophrys is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. There are many natural hybrids. The type species is Ophrys insectifera L.1753...
) – unplaced name - ×Serapicamptis (Anacamptis × SerapiasSerapiasSerapias is a genus of terrestrial orchids that can be found all over southern Europe to Asia Minor. The genus was named after Serapis, a syncretic Hellenistic-Egyptian god in Antiquity....
) – accepted name