Sciaphila is a genus of mycoheterotrophic plants in the family Triuridaceae. These plants receive nutrition from fungi and neighboring trees and have less need for photosynthesis. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, found in Africa, China, Japan, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Latin America (from southern Mexico to Brazil) and on various islands Pacific Islands. The most noteworthy feature of the genus is the number of the various flower parts (sepals, petals. stamens etc.) 99.9 percent of Monocots are trimerous (parts in threes or multiples of three), but Sciaphila spp. can have eight or even ten parts in a whorl.
Species
Many species names have been proposed, including some for taxa now transferred to other genera. The following are accepted as member of Sciaphila:
- Sciaphila africana <small>A.Chev.</small> - Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo-Brazzaville,
- Sciaphila albescens <small>Benth.</small> - Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, the Guianas
- Sciaphila aneitensis <small>Hemsl.</small> - Vanuatu, Futuna, Niue
- Sciaphila arcuata <small>Aver.</small> - Vietnam
- Sciaphila arfakiana <small>Becc.</small> - Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Micronesia, Fiji, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands
- Sciaphila consimilis <small>Blume</small> - Taiwan, Philippines
- Sciaphila corallophyton <small>K.Schum. & Schltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach</small> - Pohnpei, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago
- Sciaphila corniculata <small>Becc.</small> - Maluku, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands
- Sciaphila corymbosa <small>Benth.</small> - Brazil, Colombia
- Sciaphila densiflora <small>Schltr.</small> - Borneo, Lesser Sunda Islands, Philippines, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Maluku
- Sciaphila janthina <small>(Champ.) Thwaites</small> - Sri Lanka, southern India
- Sciaphila japonica <small>Makino</small> - Japan
- Sciaphila jianfenglingensis <small>Han Xu, Y.D.Li & H.Q.Chen</small> - Hainan
- Sciaphila khasiana <small>Benth. & Hook.f.</small> - Assam
- Sciaphila lambirensis <small>Suetsugu</small> - Sarawak
- Sciaphila ledermannii <small>Engl.</small> - Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and PrÃÂncipe
- Sciaphila micranthera <small>Giesen in H.G.A.Engler</small> - Borneo
- Sciaphila multiflora <small>Giesen in H.G.A.Engler</small> - Ryukyu Islands, Caroline Islands, Mindanao, New Guinea
- Sciaphila nana <small>Blume</small> - Jeju-do Island, Ryukyu Islands, Volcano Islands, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Java, Sumatra
- Sciaphila oligantha <small>Maas</small> - State of Amazonas in Brazil
- Sciaphila papillosa <small>Becc</small> - New Guinea
- Sciaphila picta <small>Miers</small> - Yucatán Peninsula, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela
- Sciaphila polygyna <small>Maas</small> - Colombia, French Guiana
- Sciaphila purpurea <small>Benth.</small> - Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
- Sciaphila quadribullifera <small>J.J.Sm.</small> - New Guinea
- Sciaphila ramosa <small>Fukuy. & T.Suzuki</small> - Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bonin Islands
- Sciaphila rubra <small>Maas</small> - Brazil, Venezuela
- Sciaphila schwackeana <small>Johow</small> - Brazil
- Sciaphila secundiflora <small>Thwaites ex Benth.</small> - China, Japan, Bonin Islands, Philippines, Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka
- Sciaphila stellata <small>Aver.</small> - Guangxi, Vietnam
- Sciaphila sugimotoi <small>Suetsugu & T.Nishioka</small> - Japan
- Sciaphila tenella <small>Blume</small> - Sri Lanka, Kyushu, southern China, Thailand, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, Java, Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands
- Sciaphila thaidanica <small>K.Larsen</small> - Thailand
- Sciaphila wariana <small>(Schltr.) Meerend</small> - Papua New Guinea
- Sciaphila winkleri <small>Schltr.</small> - Borneo, New Guinea
- Sciaphila yakushimensis <small>Suetsugu</small> - Yakushima
References