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Home > Orchids of Kerala > Taprobanea TaprobaneaTaprobanea Christenson An Indo -Srilankan monotypic genus described by Christenson (1992), Taprobanea is uniquely different from other vandas not only in vegetative morphology but also in floral details . This was first described and illustrated from Kerala by Van Rheede (1693) who called Ponnampou Maravara. Linnaeus gave the binimial Epidendrum spathulatum.
Epidendrum spathulatum L. sp. pl . 952 . 1753. Vanda spathulata ( L. ) Spreng ., Syst. Veg. 3 : 719 . 1828; Wight 1844 -45 : t. 915 ; J.D. Hook . 1890: 50 ; Fischer in Gamble 1928 : 1444 ; Abraham & Vatsala 1981: 438 ; jayaweera in Dassanayake & Fosberg 1981 : 438 ; Jayawera in Dassanayake & Fosberg 1981 : 222 ; Joseph 1982 : 192 ; Seidenfaden in Matthew 1983 : 1599 ; Joseph 1987 : 175 ; Seidenfaden in Matthew 1999 : 1261 . Van Rheede (1693) was the first to described and illustrate this species . Linnaeus used Rheede's element the basis for his Epidendrum Spathulatum . This is a strikingly different plant from other Vandas not only in the short and broad , ovate and obliquely biulobulate leaves but also in flowers that are golden yellow and in being a hexaploid . seidenfaden (1999) thinks it a little too early to isolate one species and to make it the basis for a genus before a complete revision of Vanda and accordingly he treats this under Vanda spathulata (L.) Spreng . Occurrence : Trivandrum , Palghat and Wayanad Districts. Distribution : Southern India (Kerala [type] , Tamil Nadu , Andhra Pradesh ) and Sri Lanka . |
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