Didymoplexis


Didymoplexis, commonly known as crystal orchids or as 双唇兰属 , is a genus of terrestrial leafless orchids in the family Orchidaceae, about twenty species of which have been described. Orchids in this genus have swollen, fleshy rhizomes and thin, pale, upright fleshy flowering stems with resupinate, bell-shaped white or pale yellowish brown flowers. They are native to Africa, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, Australia and various islands of the Pacific.

Description

Orchids in the genus Didymoplexis are small, leafless, terrestrial, mycotrophic herbs with a swollen, fleshy rhizome. The flowering stem is thin, upright and fleshy with a few scale-like bracts fleshy and one to a few flowers. The flowers are resupinate, white or pale yellowish brown and often last for less than a day. The sepals and petals are joined at the base to form a short, bell-shaped tube with the tips spreading widely. The labellum is relatively broad and has a band of calli along its midline.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Didymoplexis was first formally described in 1843 by William Griffith and the description was published in the Calcutta Journal of Natural History. The name Didymoplexis is derived from the Ancient Greek didymos meaning "double" or "twin" and plexis meaning "twine", "twist" or "weave" referring to the interlocking calli on the labellum.

List of species

The following is a list of species of Didymoplexis recognised by the Plants of the World Online as at October 2025:Didymoplexis africana Summerh. - Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Tanzania Didymoplexis avaratraensis Summerh.Didymoplexis cornuta P.J.Cribb - Java, Borneo
  • * Didymoplexis cornuta var. betungkerihunensis Tsukaya & H.Okada
  • * Didymoplexis cornuta var. cornuta
  • * Didymoplexis cornuta var. maliauensis Tsukaya, Suleiman & H.OkadaDidymoplexis flexipes J.J.Sm. - JavaDidymoplexis gibbosa Aver. & NuralievDidymoplexis himalaica Schltr. - Assam, BhutanDidymoplexis holochelia Aver. & NuralievDidymoplexis latilabris Schltr. - KalimantanDidymoplexis micradenia Hemsl. - Taiwan, Vietnam, Java, Maluku, New Guinea, Solomons, Fiji, Niue, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Samoa, Wallis & Futuna, Micronesia Didymoplexis obreniformis J.J.Sm. - Java
  • * Didymoplexis obreniformis var. maliauensis Suetsugu, Suleiman & Tsukaya
  • * Didymoplexis obreniformis var. obreniformisDidymoplexis pachystomoides Garay & W.Kittr. - QueenslandDidymoplexis pallens Griff. - Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands Didymoplexis recurvata P.J.Cribb - PhilippinesDidymoplexis seidenfadenii C.S.Kumar & Ormerod - KeralaDidymoplexis sirichaii SuddeeDidymoplexis stella-silvae Hermans]Didymoplexis striata J.J.Sm. - Java, BorneoDidymoplexis torricellensis Schltr. - New GuineaDidymoplexis trukensis Tuyama - MicronesiaDidymoplexis verrucosa J.Stewart & Hennessy - KwaZulu-Natal, MadagascarDidymoplexis vietnamica'' Ormerod - Guangxi, Vietnam

Distribution and habitat

Crystal orchids grow in grassy forest, bamboo thickets and rainforest in India, southern China and Indochina to southern Japan and the Philippines, throughout the Malay Archipelago to New Guinea, Christmas Island, tropical Australia, and the southwest Pacific islands. Some also occur in South West Africa and Madagascar.