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Gastrodia in humid evergreen forests in southeast Madagascar.
The flower of
Established by Robert Brown in 1810,
Gastrodia is a genus of terrestrial leafless orchids in the family Orchidaceae.
Commonly known as potato orchids, it includes over 90 species found in the Old World tropics, mostly in Australasia across to the Pacific islands, but with several species in tropical Africa and Madagascar, and one endemic in the Mascarenes.
During their life cycle, the potato orchids remain underground most of the time, emerging only to flower or sometimes just to set fruit.
The name refers to the belly-like appearance of the floral tube and mentum in some of the
The species was found to live in humid evergreen habitat under the deep forest shade. It can live at the base of trees or hidden among the moss, leaf litter, and flowers.
It emits a musky, pleasant, and rose-like aroma. This scent is stronger during periods of warm temperatures.
The orchid s biological history
Once its flowers become pollinated, its stem starts to grow longer, with the likely purpose of aiding in scattering its seeds.
The genus
Gastrodia has members which have no leaves. They have absolutely no photosynthetic tissues because they are holomycotrophs.
These are orchids that rely exclusively on a fungus to provide its needed nutrients. This fungus has the job of extracting nutrients from other plants and from the soil. The orchid plant then acquires these nutrients from the fungus.