Monkshood Orchids

Corycium range map

Corycium is a genus of terrestrial orchids comprising some 14 species in Eastern and Southern Africa including 10 species native to the fynbos.^[1] In South Africa they are called monkshood orchids.

Their resting stage is a tuber and when growing they have many leaves scattered along the stem but concentrated near the base. The dense spikes of flowers are not particularly striking and are often brown, green or purple. The uppermost 3 tepals are connivent into a hood whilst the lateral sepals are almost united. The lip is joined to the column bearing an appendage that covers the anthers

Species

1. Corycium alticola Parkman & Schelpe - South Africa, Lesotho
2. Corycium bicolorum (Thunb.) Sw. - South Africa
3. Corycium bifidum Sond. - South Africa
4. Corycium carnosum (Lindl.) Rolfe in W.H.Harvey - South Africa
5. Corycium crispum (Thunb.) Sw. - South Africa
6. Corycium deflexum (Bolus) Rolfe in W.H.Harvey - South Africa
7. Corycium dracomontanum Parkman & Schelpe - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi
8. Corycium excisum Lindl. - South Africa
9. Corycium flanaganii (Bolus) Kurzweil & H.P.Linder - South Africa, Lesotho
10. Corycium ingeanum E.G.H.Oliv. - South Africa
11. Corycium microglossum Lindl. - South Africa
12. Corycium nigrescens Sond. - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania
13. Corycium orobanchoides (L.f.) Sw. - South Africa
14. Corycium tricuspidatum Bolus - South Africa

References

• Swartz, O. (1800) Kongl. Vetenskaps Academiens Nya Handlingar 21: 220.
• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2001) Orchidoideae (Part 1). Genera Orchidacearum 2: 23 ff. Oxford University Press.