The Genus Oberonia in Mainland Asia.
By Gunnar Seidenfaden.

1968, Dansk Botanik Arkiv Bind 25 nr. 3, Kopenhavn.
125 pp., many pen drawings.

No ISBN.

Oberonia, an orchid genus in subtribe Malaxidinae, is a large epiphytic genus with 200+ species centred in South and Southeast Asia but distributed widely to Africa, the Mascarene Islands, China, Australia and the Pacific Islands in lowland and mid-montane forests.
Plants can be found from sea level till about 900m above sea level, growing as epiphytes in bright shadow or on rocks exposed to the full heat of the sun.
Plants, fan-like or iris-like growths with thin roots, are easily recognized because leaves are equitant in most species. Species identification is not evident without flowers.
The thin arching inflorescences inflorescence is terminal, racemose, unbranched. The numerous flowers are extremely small, non-resupinate and arranged in whorls. Their colours are green, greenish yellow, orange, red and brown.

The Genus Oberonia in Mainland Asia.
‘Introduction’ (p. 7-8) and ‘General Remarcks’ (p. 9-12) are followed by ‘List of the Species of Mainland Asia’ where we find a ‘Key to the Sections’ (p. 13).
From p. 14 on: 9 Sections with the species in those sections: a total of 78 species. Seidenfaden gives for each species info about the first description and some comments.
A very detailed pen drawing is published beside most of the species. It is amazing to see such very good drawings especially knowing that the size of some flowers is less than 1 mm.

Take also a look at:
A revision of the Indian species of Oberonia (Orchidaceae) R. Ansari & N.P. Balakrishnan in Orchid Monographs 4 (1990) via click here!

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