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Lecanorchis tabugawaensis is a small, leafless mycoheterotrophic orchid from lowland forests on Yakushima, Japan. It gets its nutrients from fungi on its roots rather than photosynthesis, so it cannot be grown like a typical orchid.
Lecanorchis tabugawaensis is a species of orchid which belongs to the group of mycoheterotrophic plants. Mycoheterotrophs are known for feeding off of the roots of fungal hosts, instead of utilizing photosynthesis. Myco-heterotrophy refers to the harmonious relationship between particular plants and fungi. After a thorough exploration of the plant's shape, size, and structure, it was determined to be closely associated with orchidaceous Lecanorchis amethystea, although inward variations confirmed this unique species.
The plant was discovered in July 2015 by Yamashita Hiroaki in lowland forests on Yakushima island. This species is only found at two locations along the Tabu River. Other recent discoveries on this island include: Oxygyne yamashitae (2008), Gastrodia uraiensis (2015), and Sciaphila yakushimensis (2016).
Certain plants, including L. tabugawaensis, no longer rely on insects for pollination, these plants have evolved to self-pollination.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lecanorchis tabugawaensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
