Orchids in the genus Tainia are evergreen, terrestrial herbaceous plants with upright, crowded, thin fleshy pseudobulbs. Each pseudobulb has a single, smooth or pleated leaf. The flower stalk emerges from the pseudobulb on the top of a leafless shoot and bears resupinate yellowish, brownish, red or purple small to moderately large flowers. The sepals and petals are similar in size and shape to each other and several flowers open simultaneously. The labellum is sometimes lobed but always has prominent ridges on its upper surface.[3][4][5]
The genus Tainia was first formally described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume who published the description in Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië.[1][6][7] The name Tainia is an Ancient Greek word meaning "ribbon", "fillet", "band" or "stripe"[8] but Blume's reason for giving this name is not known.[5]
Orchids in the genus Tainia grow in high rainfall, shady forests. They are found in Sri Lanka, India and Japan, then south from MyanmartoNew Guinea, Australia and some Pacific Islands. Thirteen species, of which two are endemic are found in China. The only Australian species, T. trinervis also occurs in New Guinea and some Pacific Islands.[3][4]
^ abcd"Tainia". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
^Drake, Sarah (1844). John Lindley (ed.). "Ania bicornis". Edwards's Botanical Register. 30: 8. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^ abcJones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 364. ISBN1877069124.
^ abcChen, Xinqi; Wood, Jeffrey J. "Tainia". Retrieved 3 November 2018.
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