Acriopsis emarginata (previously Acriopsis javanica) illustrated by Lewis Roberts (naturalist)

Acriopsis, is a genus of orchids and the sole member of its subtribe, the Acriopsidinae.

The genus consists of about 12 species, and was described by Carl Ludwig Blume (1789–1862) in 1825. The name 'Acriopsis' is derived from the Greek akris, locust and -opsis, resemblance, "refers to the unusual column that resembles the shape of a locust."^[1]

This genus (sometimes referred to as the Chandelier Orchids) is found in India, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and New Guinea, with only one species in Australia which lives between the Daintree River and the tip of Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.^[2]

They grow mainly in low, humid rainforests, sometimes ascending to medium altitudes. Their roots have specialised roots which grow from them up through the air and make branches which feed on litter and other debris.^[3]

Footnotes

References

• Jones, David L. (2006). A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia including the Island Territories. New Holland Publishers, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. 2086, Australia. ISBN 1-877069-12-4.

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