View source for Malaxis

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Malaxis
|accepted_authority=Solander ex Swartz
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Prodr.,
|place=8, 119. 1788
|year=1788
}}
|common_names=Adder’s-mouth
|basionyms=
|synonyms=
|hierarchy=Orchidaceae;Orchidaceae subfam. Epidendroideae;Orchidaceae tribe Malaxideae;Malaxis
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Orchidaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>subfamily</small>[[Orchidaceae subfam. Epidendroideae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>tribe</small>[[Orchidaceae tribe Malaxideae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Malaxis]]</div></div>
|etymology=Greek malaxis, softening, in reference to soft and tender texture of leaves
|volume=Volume 26
|mention_page=page 497, 498
|treatment_page=page 627
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Herbs,</b> terrestrial to semiepiphytic, glabrous. <b>Roots</b> few, fibrous, 0.3–1 mm wide. <b>Stems</b> swollen at base into pseudobulb, ± globose, glabrous. <b>Leaves</b> 1–3(–5), with sheathing base; blade elliptic, ovate, or lanceolate. <b>Inflorescences</b> terminal, racemes, spicate racemes, corymbose racemes, or subumbellate racemes; floral bracts inconspicuous, lanceolate, subulate, or triangular-acuminate. <b>Flowers</b> 2–160, resupinate or not, erect or spreading, sessile or minutely to strongly pedicellate; sepals spreading, distinct or lateral sepals basally connate, ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, 1–6 mm, margins revolute or not; petals spreading or recurved, filiform to linear, lanceolate, or triangular, usually much narrower than sepals; lip ovate or lanceolate, cordate, unlobed to 3-lobed, concave or saccate, widest proximal to middle, base auriculate or truncate; column free; anther terminal; pollinaria 4, waxy; 1 pollinarium or 2 separate hemipollinaria; viscidia yellow or orange. <b>Fruits</b> capsules; previous year’s fruiting stem and capsules frequently present during current year’s anthesis. <b>x</b> = 14, 15, 18, ca. 20, ca. 21, 22.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=Widespread;mostly in Asia and East Indies.
|discussion=<p>Species ca. 250 (10 in the flora).</p>
|tables=
|references={{Treatment/Reference
|id=ames1935a
|text=Ames, O. and C. Schweinfurth. 1935. Nomenclatural studies in Malaxis and Spiranthes. Bot. Mus. Leafl. 3: 113–133.
}}{{Treatment/Reference
|id=catling1991a
|text=Catling, P. M. 1991. Systematics of Malaxis bayardii and M. unifolia. Lindleyana 6: 3–23.
}}
}}<!--

--><div class="treatment-key">
==Key==
<div class="treatment-key-group">
  
{| class="wikitable fna-keytable"
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Leaves 2–3(–5).
|[[#key-0-2| > 2]]
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Leaves 1(–2, rarely).
|[[#key-0-4| > 4]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Lip 2.5–2.9(–4) mm, base prominently cordate-auriculate.
|[[Malaxis spicata|Malaxis spicata]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Lip 1.2–2.5 mm, base truncate or cuneate.
|[[#key-0-3| > 3]]
|-id=key-0-3
|3
|Leaves basal; base of lip cuneate; flowers not resupinate.
|[[Malaxis paludosa|Malaxis paludosa]]
|-id=key-0-3
|3
|Leaves cauline; base of lip truncate, 3-lobed, lateral lobes auriculate; flowers resupinate.
|[[Malaxis monophyllos var. brachypoda|Malaxis monophyllos var. brachypoda]]
|-id=key-0-4
|4
|Lip 3-dentate at apex, middle tooth smallest, sometimes so inconspicuous that apex appears 2-dentate.
|[[#key-0-5| > 5]]
|-id=key-0-4
|4
|Lip unlobed (with or without single point) at apex.
|[[#key-0-7| > 7]]
|-id=key-0-5
|5
|Flowers apparently sessile, pedicels 1.3–1.7 mm; flowers not resupinate.
|[[Malaxis soulei|Malaxis soulei]]
|-id=key-0-5
|5
|Flowers clearly pedicellate, pedicels 3.4–10(–13) mm; flowers resupinate.
|[[#key-0-6| > 6]]
|-id=key-0-6
|6
|Lip with auricles 0.6 or more times as long as distance from base of lip to apex of middle lobe.
|[[Malaxis bayardii|Malaxis bayardii]]
|-id=key-0-6
|6
|Lip with auricles less than 0.6 times as long as distance from base of lip to apex of middle lobe.
|[[Malaxis unifolia|Malaxis unifolia]]
|-id=key-0-7
|7
|Lip base truncate with prominent, forward-directed auricles; flowers not resupinate.
|[[Malaxis monophyllos var. monophyllos|Malaxis monophyllos var. monophyllos]]
|-id=key-0-7
|7
|Lip base cordate or hastate-auriculate; flowers resupinate.
|[[#key-0-8| > 8]]
|-id=key-0-8
|8
|Inflorescences 1.5–3 cm; pedicels crowded.
|[[Malaxis corymbosa|Malaxis corymbosa]]
|-id=key-0-8
|8
|Inflorescence 2.6–25 cm; pedicels not crowded.
|[[#key-0-9| > 9]]
|-id=key-0-9
|9
|Sepals 4–6 mm.
|[[Malaxis abieticola|Malaxis abieticola]]
|-id=key-0-9
|9
|Sepals 1.8–2.4 mm.
|[[#key-0-10| > 10]]
|-id=key-0-10
|10
|Sepals glabrous, not papillose; apex of lip broadly acuminate, auricles at base narrow and parallel.
|[[Malaxis porphyrea|Malaxis porphyrea]]
|-id=key-0-10
|10
|Sepals papillose, not glabrous; apex of lip narrowly acuminate, auricles at base broad and diverging.
|[[Malaxis wendtii|Malaxis wendtii]]
|}
</div></div><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Malaxis
|author=Paul M. Catling;Lawrence K. Magrath
|authority=Solander ex Swartz
|rank=genus
|parent rank=tribe
|synonyms=
|basionyms=
|family=Orchidaceae
|distribution=Widespread;mostly in Asia and East Indies.
|reference=ames1935a;catling1991a
|publication title=Prodr.,
|publication year=1788
|special status=
|source xml=https://jpend@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/8f726806613d60c220dc4493de13607dd3150896/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V26/V26_1282.xml
|subfamily=Orchidaceae subfam. Epidendroideae
|tribe=Orchidaceae tribe Malaxideae
|genus=Malaxis
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Orchidaceae tribe Malaxideae]]