Pomatocalpa


Pomatocalpa, commonly known as bladder orchids, or 鹿角兰属 , is a genus of about twenty five species from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are epiphytes or lithophytes with thick, leathery leaves and a large number of small flowers with a three-lobed labellum. There are about twenty five species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the south-west Pacific.

Description

Orchids in the genus Pomatocalpa are monopodial epiphytic or lithophytic herbs with long, thick roots attached to the substrate, with fibrous stems and long-lasting leaves arranged in two rows with their bases obscuring the stems. A large number of relatively small flowers are arranged on a panicle or raceme and with sepals and petals that are similar to each other and a labellum that has three lobes.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Pomatocalpa was first formally described in 1829 by Jacob Gijsbert [Samuel van Breda|Breda] in Genera et Species Orchidearum et Asclepiadearum. The type species is Pomatocalpa spicatum. The name Pomatocalpa is derived from the Ancient Greek words pomatos meaning "cover", "lid", "operculum" or "gill-cover" and kalpe meaning "vessel for drawing water", "pitcher" or "urn", referring to the deeply pouched labellum.
Species list:
The following is a list of species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at October 2025:
Species in the genus Pomatocalpa are found from tropical and substropical Asia to the southwest Pacific.