Steve Manning considers the diverse range of hirsute orchids
Images: Steve Manning
‘I must to the barber’s, monsieur, for methinks I am marvellous hairy’
Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
When you are as hooked on pleurothallids as I am, you become aware of certain attributes not necessarily associated with the more obvious ones of the genus. The most eye-catching of these is hairiness.
Hairiness in pleurothallids comes in various forms, occurs in several genera and has a language all of its own, including: ciliatus, hirsutus, hispidus, intonsus, pilosus, pubescens, strigonus, tomentosus, velutinus and villosus . In addition there are some Greek terms in botanical Latin: dasy meaning shaggy, hairy and thick-haired; lasios meaning shaggy, woolly; chaete meaning loose flowing hair, with thrix also meaning hair and trichion meaning small hair.
With all these to choose from, taxonomists have not been short of choice, and most of these terms have been applied to one or more species within most of the (now) 60 genera of Pleurothallidinae .
Pleuros’ range of styles
More than 15 percent of the 4,000-strong pleurothallids have hairs of one sort or another, and even this discounts different sorts of protuberances such as the papillae (minute soft tubercles) that turn the otherwise ordinary orange of a Masdevallia into the sparkling purple-hazed Masdevallia veitchiana , and the verrucas (warts) on the flower stem (peduncle) that give Scaphosepalum verrucosum its name.
The largest genus - Pleurothallis - has the largest number of hairy little monsters (HLMs). The more obvious are P. hirsuta (now P. villosa ), P. hirsuticaulis (now Myoxanthus hirsuiticaulis ) and P. hirsutula ; then we have P. dasypetala that tells us it has hairy petals, and needing a shave is P. asperrima (very densely covered with short, stiff hairs) closely followed by P. endotrachys (now Specklinia endotrachys ), which means ‘rough inside’, and a closer look shows clearly that that has never felt the touch of a razor. However it is fitting that the one that suggests a less-than-successful visit to the hair-stylist - P. barberiana (now P. aristata ) - is quite bald.
Soft down and white whiskers
The next largest genus - Stelis - also boasts a wealth of whiskered wonders but here it is more often like the soft down that covers certain parts of a baby’s anatomy. However the following four, S. barbae and S. barbata (now S. microchila ) (from barbatus = tufts of long, weak hairs), S. capillaris and S. ciliaris are enough to form a special sort of barber’s-shop quartet! But it would be remiss of me, while on Stelis , not to point out the wonderfully named S. tonsoria , which Luer in his description states ‘from the Latin tonsorius “pertaining to barbering” in fanciful allusion to the red-striped barber pole’.
Without white whiskers, Santa Claus just would not be Santa Claus - and Condylago rodrigoi would not be Condylago rodrigoi (now Stelis rodrigoi ), and likewise with Pleurothallis amparoana .
Search out the pipe-cleaner stems of many Porroglossum species - they make your own lower limbs look svelte.
The ‘filament’ of Restrepia filamentosa (now R. trichoglossa ) is thought by many as a reference to the hair-like petals, but this is not so. At the back of the flower, under the ovary, is a small appendage, a sort of non-developing bud, and it is from this that it gets its name; it is a feature many Restrepia share with Barbosella . For the hairs on Restrepia , look for two tiny hooks near the rear of the lip - protruding either side of the column.
Dresslerella is perhaps the hairiest genus in the whole Orchidaceae . Every possible surface is covered with hairs, specially look for D. hirsutissima and D. pilossima ; even D. caesariata has nothing to do with the James Cagney character ‘Little Caesar’, but means ‘covered with hair’.
Moustaches, sideburns or beards
Scaphosepalum are sometimes referred to as ‘flying moustaches’ with memories of the RAF pilots, but ignoring this appellation, there are several scaphs with hairy appendages - mainly on the outer surface of the flowers, especially S. fimbriatum , and to go to a recently revived genus Acronia , A. rowleei and A. stricta bear racemes where the individual flowers have petals which form a Zapata-type moustache, while some flowers in Specklinia (another revival genus) have hairy petals that form sideburns (if your imagination is vivid enough).
Even Lepanthes get in on the act with Lepanthes micropogon (now L. megalostele ) - the little bearded one.
True hairs are quite rare in Masdevallia ; some can be seen - with the aid of a magnifying glass - on a few of the multi-headed group such as M. huebschiana (now M. lehmannii ) and M. staaliana (now M. pachyura ). More frequent is the presence of papillae that mainly occur inside the sepaline tube - M. papillosa of course, also M. calosiphon (now M. fuchsii ) and M. agaster , not forgetting the scented M. strobelii and M. glandulosa (the sexiest scented orchid of them all). Masdevallia asterotricha is a funny little creature, with red hairs on a yellow background giving it a blushed appearance - or razor burn. Masdevallia erinacea (syn. M. horrida - much more apt, but now Diodonopsis erinacea ) and its cousins, M. mollossus and M. mollossoides are true HLMs.
Profusely hairy
Those of us who are follically challenged approach the genus Dracula with more than a touch of envy. Their hairiness can be so profuse that a quick clipping would yield enough material to weave a hair shirt, let alone a wig, and it would be easier to list those Dracula that do not have hairs of one sort or another. I recommend that you look through a catalogue or two, or take a closer look at them when attending your next orchid show; you might see things that will turn yours white - or make it stand on end.
Steve Manning is the holder of the National Plant Collection of Pleurothallidinae