Dipodium

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Orchidaceae
Subfamilia: Epidendroideae
Tribus: Cymbidieae
Subtribus: Cymbidiinae
Genus: Dipodium
Overview of species (40)

D. ambiguum – D. atropurpureum – D. bicallosum – D. bicarinatum – D. brassii – D. brevilabium – D. campanulatum – D. chanii – D. conduplicatum – D. confusum – D. elatum – D. elegans – D. elegantulum – D. ensifolium – D. fevrellii – D. fragrans – D. freycinetioides – D. gracile – D. hamiltonianum – D. javanicum – D. lambii – D. meijeri – D. moultonii – D. paludosum – D. pandanum – D. pardalinum – D. parviflorum – D. pictum – D. pulchellum – D. punctatum – D. purpureum – D. puspitae – D. robertyongii – D. roseum – D. scandens – D. speciosum – D. squamatum – D. stenocheilum – D. variegatum – D. wenzelii
Name

Dipodium R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl.: 330 (1810)

Type species: Dipodium punctatum (Sm.) R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl.: 311 (1810)
This species is noted as a synonym of Dipodium squamatum by Govaerts et al. (2014), whereas Pridgeon (et al.) (2009) suggest it is the type species.

Synonymy

Heterotypic
Leopardanthus Blume, Rumphia 4: 47 (1849)
Wailesia Lindl., J. Hort. Soc. London 4: 261 (1849)
Hydranthus Kuhl & Hasselt ex Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 2: 20 (1862)
Trichochilus Ames, J. Arnold Arbor. 13: 142 (1932)

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Asia-Tropical
Indo-China
Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam.
Malesia
Borneo, Jawa, Malaya, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera.
Papuasia
Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
Australasia
Australia
New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia.
Pacific
Northwestern Pacific
Caroline Islands.
Southwestern Pacific
New Caledonia, Vanuatu.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Brown, R. 1810. Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae 330.
Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.W. & Rasmussen, F.N. (eds.) 2014. Genera Orchidacearum Volume 5: Epidendroideae (Part two); page 65 ff., Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-850713-0

Links

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2021. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Dipodium (Orchidaceae). Accessed: 2021 May 25.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Dipodium in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 May 25. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Dipodium in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 May 25. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2021. Dipodium. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 May 25. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Dipodium. Published online. Accessed: 25 May 2021.
Tropicos.org 2021. Dipodium. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 May 25.

Vernacular names
Dipodium, commonly known as hyacinth orchids,[3] is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial and climbing species, some with leaves and some leafless, but all with large, often colourful flowers on tall flowering stems. It is the only genus of its alliance, Dipodium.

Description

Orchids in the genus Dipodium are perennial, terrestrial herbs or climbers/epiphytes. Many species, particularly in eastern Australia are leafless mycoheterotrophs. Others have medium-sized to very large leaves that are parallel-veined and have entire margins. The flowers are arranged in a raceme with very few or up to fifty large, often colourful flowers. These may be fragrant or odourless, are white, pink, purple, yellow or green, often with spots or blotches. The sepals and petals are free from and similar to each other. The labellum projects forwards and has three lobes with a central band of colourful hairs. Each flower has two pollinia that are supported on two stipes. Dehiscent capsules, produced after flowering, hold the seed which is released when the capsule splits longitudinally along six seams. Between 30 and 500 seeds are produced per capsule.[3][4][5][6]
Taxonomy

The genus was formally described in 1810 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[1][7] The name Dipodium is derived the Greek words di (two) and podia (little feet), a reference to the two stipes supporting the pollinia.[8]
Two flowering scapes of a leafless species in south-eastern Australia
Distribution and habitat

Hyacinth orchids are found in Malaysia, the Philippines,, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, New Guinea and Australia where eleven species are endemic. They occur in a range of habitats from coastal lowlands to ranges and tablelands.[3][9]
Ecology

It is thought that the flowers attract native bees and wasps through floral mimicry.[10]
Uses

An infusion of the leaves of Dipodium pandanum is traditionally drunk in Bouganville to help relieve respiratory infections.[11]
Use in horticulture

Leafless hyacinth orchids are impossible to grow in cultivation but D. pandanum is easy to grow in warm climates.[3]: 272 
Species

The following is a list of described species in the genus Dipodium, recognised by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families[2] apart from Dipodium punctatum which is recognised as a species in Australia (rather than as a synonym of Dipodium squamatum).[1][12]

Dipodium ambiguum - from Malesia
Dipodium atropurpureum - purple hyacinth orchid, from New South Wales
Dipodium bicallosum - from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra
Dipodium bicarinatum - from Peninsular Malaysia
Dipodium brassii - from Papua New Guinea
Dipodium brevilabium - from Western Papua
Dipodium campanulatum - bell-flower hyacinth-orchid, from South Australia and Victoria
Dipodium chanii - from Borneo
Dipodium conduplicatum - from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra
Dipodium confusum - from Borneo
Dipodium elatum – from Sumatra
Dipodium elegans - from Sumatra
Dipodium elegantulum - elegant hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland
Dipodium ensifolium - leafy hyacinth-orchid, from north-east Queensland
Dipodium fevrellii - from Sulawesi
Dipodium fragrans - from Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sulawesi
Dipodium freycinetioides - from Palau
Dipodium gracile - from Sulawesi
Dipodium hamiltonianum - yellow hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland, New South Wales, the A.C.T. and Victoria
Dipodium javanicum - from West Java
Dipodium lambii - from Borneo
Dipodium meijeri - from Borneo
Dipodium moultonii - from Borneo
Dipodium paludosum - from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo
Dipodium pandanum – Maluku to Papuasia and Queensland
Dipodium pardalinum - spotted hyacinth-orchid or leopard hyacinth-orchid, from South Australia and Victoria
Dipodium parviflorum - from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra
Dipodium pictum - from Malesia and the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland
Dipodium pulchellum - from New South Wales and Queensland
Dipodium punctatum - blotched hyacinth-orchid or hyacinth orchid, from New South Wales, the A.C.T., Victoria, and South Australia
Dipodium purpureum - from Borneo
Dipodium robertyongii - from Borneo
Dipodium roseum - rosy hyacinth-orchid or pink hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland, New South Wales, the A.C.T., Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania
Dipodium scandens - from Borneo, Java, The Philippines, Sulawesi, New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago and the Solomon Islands
Dipodium speciosum - from Peninsular Malaysia
Dipodium squamatum - from New Caledonia and Vanuatu
Dipodium stenocheilum - tropical hyacinth-orchid, from the northern parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Dipodium variegatum - blotched hyacinth-orchid or slender hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria
Dipodium wenzelii - from Borneo

Undescribed species

Dipodium sp. Basalt Woodland (M.D. Barrett 198) - northern Kimberley, Western Australia.[13]
Dipodium sp. Sandstone (R.L. Barrett & K.W. Dixon 1642) - northern Kimberley,[14]

References

"Dipodium". APNI. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
"Dipodium". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 270. ISBN 1877069124.
"Dipodium R.Br". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
Weston, P.H. "Genus Dipodium". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
Jeanes, Jeff. "Dipodium". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. London. pp. 330–331. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
Clements, Mark A (2013). The Allure of Orchids. National Library Australia. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0-642-27807-4.
Jones, David L. (1991). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 2: 48.
Jessup, Scott. "Action statement - yellow hyacinth orchid Dipodium hamiltonianum" (PDF). The State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
Lawler, L.J.; Slaytor, M. (1969). "The distribution of alkaloids in orchids from the territory of Papua and New Guinea". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 94: 240. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
"Dipodium punctatum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
"Dipodium sp. Basalt Woodland (M.D. Barrett 198)". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
"Dipodium sp. Sandstone (R.L. Barrett & K.W. Dixon 1642)". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.