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Taeniophyllum hasseltii
Christmas Island ribbonroot is a leafless epiphytic orchid that forms small clumps of flat silvery roots pressed against tree branches. It is a species, not a genus, and is very different from typical leafy orchids, so it is mainly of interest to collectors rather than common home growers.
Taeniophyllum hasseltii, commonly known as the Christmas Island ribbonroot, is a species of leafless epiphytic or lithophytic orchid that forms small clumps. It has short stems and flattened silvery grey roots pressed against the substrate on which it is growing. The flowers are tube-shaped, pale yellow and open one at a time. This orchid is only known from Christmas Island, an Australian territory and the Indonesia island of Java.
The Christmas Island ribbonroot usually grows on the smallest branches of rainforest trees. It was first recorded on Christmas Island in 1987 when specimens were seen on small branches fallen from a rainforest tree. It is also known from Java and is probably present in other parts of Malesia.
Taeniophyllum baumei · Taeniophyllum clementsii · Crowded ribbonroot · Taeniophyllum explanatum · Taeniophyllum fasciola · Yellow ribbonroot · Tangled ribbonroot · Chain ribbonroot · Norfolk Island ribbonroot · Taeniophyllum savaiiense · Ribbonroot Orchids
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Taeniophyllum hasseltii 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.
