Tag Archives: Orchidaceae

Eulophia grandidieri H. Perrier

Grandidier’s Harlequin Orchid (Eulophia grandidieri)

This terrestrial species is known exclusively from its type which had been collected in 1901 near the city of Toamasina in eastern Madagascar, a region that is now almost completely deforested.

The species is very likely extinct.

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edited: 11.02.2024

Disperis egregia Summerh.

Arc Mountains Disperis Orchid (Disperis egregia)

The Arc Mountains Disperis Orchid was described in 1952, it is, or maybe was, an endemic species of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a mountain range that stretches from Kenya to Tanzania.

The very small species grew terrestrial on mossy rock-faces in dense rainforests at elevations of 900 to about 1050 m. The flowers were pink and appeared on two- to three-flowered inflorescences.

The name of this species appears in listings of extinct and possibly extinct species and is thus mentioned here as well.

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edited: 12.11.2020

Rhipidoglossum orientalis (Mansf.) Szlach. & Olszewski

Eastern Rhipidoglossum Orchid (Rhipidoglossum orientalis)

The Eastern Rhipidoglossum Orchid was described in 2001, apparently on the basis of some old herbarium material.

The species is thought to be (or to have been) endemic to the forests of the Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania; it was obviously last found in 1933 and is believed to be possibly extinct.

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edited: 20.08.2022

Oeceoclades seychellarum (Rolfe ex Summerh.) Garay & P. Taylor

Seychelles Oeceoclades Orchid (Oeceoclades seychellarum)

This species was a terrestrial or epiphytic (depending on which source) orchid, that was restricted to the island of Mahé, Seychelles Islands.

The Seychelles Oeceoclades Orchid is said to have been very similar in vegetative morphology to the closely related Malagasy Lanceated Oeceoclades Orchid (Oeceoclades lanceata (H. Perrier) Garay & P. Taylor), from which it differed, however, in some floral characteristics, especially by its proportionally shorter lip.

The species is known exclusively from the type specimen that was collected in 1902 in a region that was covered with intact mountain forest at that time, but that now is degraded by human activity and overgrown with introduced invasive plant species. 

The Seychelles Oeceoclades Orchid is thus considered extinct.

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The species was once cultivated in the Botanical Garden of Kew, Great Britain at the beginning of the 20th century, but seems to have disappeared from there as well.

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References:

[1] Justin Gerlach: Red Listing reveals the true state of biodiversity: a comprehensive assessment of Seychelles biodiversity. Phesluma 20: 9-22. 2012

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edited: 26.11.2018

Peristylus cryptostylus (Rchb. f.) Ormerod

Hidden-Column Peristylus (Peristylus cryptostylus)

The Hidden-Column Peristylus was described in 1878, it was a terrestrial orchid growing in the rain forests of Tahiti in the Society Islands.

The species is now considered extinct.

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edited: 09.11.2021

Corybas betchei (F. Muell.) Schltr.

Betche’s Corybas Orchid (Corybas betchei)

Betche’s Corybas Orchid is known only from the type collection that was made in 1923 on the island of ‘Upolu, Samoa.

This was a very small, only about 5 cm large, terrestrial orchid that grew in the dense shrub layer of montane rain forests, it had a single, up to 3 cm long and 2,6 cm wide, leaf with a cordate base and a acute tip. [1]

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References:

[1] Phillip Cribb; W. Arthur Whistler: Orchids of Samoa. Kew Publishing 1996

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edited: 13.11.2021

Nervilia grandiflora Schltr.

Large-flowered Nervilia (Nervilia grandiflora)  

This orchid is only known from the type specimen, which was collected in the year 1910 on the island of Sava’i, Samoa.  

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The species is most closely related to the Broad-bearded Nervilia (Nervilia platychila Schltr.), which occurs in Melanesia, including New Caledonia, and also on the Fijian Islands, and differs from it mainly by its glabrous leaves.  

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References:  

[1] Phillip Cribb; W. Arthur Whistler: Orchids of Samoa. Kew Publishing 1996  

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edited: 23.03.2018

Bulbophyllum sanguineum H. Perrier

Blood-red Bulbophyllum Orchid (Bulbophyllum sanguineum)

The Blood-red Bulbophyllum Orchid was described in 1937, it is endemic to Madagascar, where it grows, or was growing, as a small epiphyt in the forests at higher elevations.

The species was apparently never found since its description and, given the fact that most of Madagascars forests still are burned down, this species may now quite well be extinct. 

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The species is obviously sometimes mistaken for another one, the Red-puncted Bulbophyllum Orchid (Bulbophyllum sanguineopunctatum Seidenf. & A. D. Kerr), which is quite commonly found in cultivation.

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edited: 12.11.2020

Oberonia attenuata Dockrill

Elongated Oberonia (Oberonia attenuata)  

The Elongated Oberonia comes from the southern part of the Cape Your Peninsula in northern Queensland, Australia, it allegedly also occurs (or occurred) in New Guinea, however. 

The species is considered extinct, the reasons therefor, however, appear to be unknown.

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edited: 21.06.2020

Disa ecalcarata (G. J. Lewis) H. P. Linder

Spurless Disa (Disa ecalcarata)

This species is known only from the type material which was collected in 1947 at an unspecified location on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.

The species was never found again and is considered extinct, it might, however, be a hybrid or an aberrant form of another species.

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edited: 15.05.2021

Disa forcipata Schltr.

Forceps-shaped Disa (Disa forcipata)

This species is known from the type alone, which was collected in 1870 at an unknown place probably in the Knysna area of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

The species was never found again and is considered extinct.

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Depiction from: ’Adolf Engler: Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 31. 1902’

(public domain)

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edited: 15.05.2021

Dendrobium scirpoides Schltr.

Sedge-like Dendrobium (Dendrobium scirpoides)

This species is known only from the type collection and was never found again; it might well be extinct.

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References:

[1] Phillip Cribb; W. Arthur Whistler: Orchids of Samoa. Kew Publishing 1996

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edited: 20.01.2022

Bulbophyllum erythroglossum Bosser

Red-tongued Bulbophyllum Orchid (Bulbophyllum erythroglossum)

The Red-tongued Bulbophyllum Orchid was described in 2000, apparently when it already wasn’t existing anymore.

The species was found in the vicinity of the city of Toamasina in the Atsinanana Region of eastern Madagascar, it was last recorded in 1964 but hasn’t been found since and is thus very likely extinct.

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edited: 23.04.2022

Holothrix culveri Bolus

Culver‘s Holothrix (Holothrix culveri)  

Culver’s Holothrix, described in 1905, is a very inconspicuous orchid species that is known exclusively from the type collection, originating from 1890.  

The type locality is located close to what today is the town of Barberton in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, and is now completely destroyed by a road that was built right across the site, the habitat is heavily degraded due to spread of informal settlements.  

Thus, the species is considered most likely extinct.  However, search operations undertaken repeatedly between 2002 and 2006 produced the finding of at least one plant that may be this species, yet there is only this single plant, and its identity has obviously not been confirmed ever since.  

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Depiction from: ‘Harry Bolus: Icones orchidearum austro-africanarum extra-tropicarum: or figures, with descriptions, of extra-tropical South African orchids. London: W. Wesley 1896-1913’  

(public domain)

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edited: 20.03.2018