Crepidium

{{short description|Genus of orchids}} {{automatic taxobox | image = Crepidium quadridentatum by Raab Bustamante.jpg | image_caption = ''Crepidium quadridentatum'' | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Crepidium | authority = Blume<ref name="PoWO">{{cite web |title=''Crepidium'' |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:29139-1 |publisher=Plants of the World Online |access-date=23 October 2025}}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See list of species | synonyms_ref = <ref name="PoWO" /> | synonyms = * ''Fingardia'' Szlach. * ''Glossochilopsis'' Szlach. * ''Pseudoliparis'' Finet * ''Pterochilus'' Hook. & Arn. * ''Saurolophorkis'' Marg. & Szlach. * ''Seidenfia'' Szlach. * ''Seidenforchis'' Marg. }}

'''''Crepidium''''', commonly known as '''沼兰属 (zhao lan shu)'''<ref name="China" /> or '''spur orchids'''<ref name="Jones">{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories|date=2006|publisher=New Holland|location=Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.|isbn=1877069124|pages =354–356}}</ref> is a genus of about three hundred species of orchids in the family Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are evergreen, mostly terrestrial plants with short stems lying on the ground, two or more relatively large, pleated leaves and small, non-resupinate flowers with spreading sepals and petals. The genus is widely distributed in the tropics.

==Description== Orchids in the genus ''Crepidium'' are evergreen, sympodial, mostly terrestrial plants with fleshy stems lying on the ground although a few species are epiphytes. There are two to many relatively large, pleated leaves with their petioles wrapped around the stem, the leaves sometimes lasting for up to three years. Small or tiny, non-resupinate flowers are borne along the end of the flowering stem. The flowers are green, yellow, red, brown or purple and have spreading sepals and petals. The dorsal sepal is usually longer than the lateral sepals and the petals usually shorter and narrower than the sepals. The labellum is erect, flat and usually undivided with two ear-like lobes near its base. The column is short and has two relatively large wings. No nectar is produced and there are two pairs of waxy, yellow pollinia.<ref name="China">{{cite web |title=''Crepidium'' |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=108339 |publisher=Flora of China |accessdate=18 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="Jones" /><ref name="ATROK">{{cite web |author1=D.L.Jones |author2=T.Hopley |author3=S.M.Duffy |author1-link=David L. Jones (botanist) |year=2010 |access-date=27 May 2021 |url=http://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/RFKOrchids/key/rfkorchids/Media/Html/genera/Crepidium.htm |title=Crepidium |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government}}</ref><ref name="N.G.">{{cite web |title=Genus ''Crepidium'' |url=http://www.orchidsnewguinea.com/orchid-information/genus/genuscode/87 |publisher=Orchids of New Guinea |accessdate=18 October 2018}}</ref>

==Taxonomy and naming== The genus ''Crepidium'' was first raised and formally described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume and the description was published in his book ''Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië''.<ref name="PoWO" /><ref name="Blume">{{cite book |last1=Blume |first1=Carl Ludwig |title=Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië |date=1825 |location=Batavia |page=387 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/9224#page/105/mode/1up |accessdate=18 October 2018}}</ref> The name ''Crepidium'' is derived from the Latin word ''crepida'' meaning "boot", "sandal", "shoe" or "base",<ref name="RWB">{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page = 707}}</ref> possibly referring to the shape of the labellum. Some authors previously included species in this genus in ''Malaxis'' but ''Crepidium'' have stems lying above ground, broad leaves and an undivided labellum with ear-like lobes.<ref name="ATROK" />

===Species=== (See List of species)

==Distribution and habitat== Species of ''Crepidium'' are found in tropical countries including China, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast asia, northern Australia, New Guinea, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The greatest diversity is in New Guinea where about ninety species occur. Seventeen species, five of which are endemic occur in China. In Australia there are five endemic species in tropical Queensland and the Northern Territory. Many species grow on the floor of rainforest but some are epiphytes on mossy tree trunks.<ref name="China" /><ref name="ATROK" /><ref name="N.G." />

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == *{{Commons-inline|italic=1}} *[https://archive.today/20140616201851/http://131.230.176.4/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=crepidium&rank=genus&classif_id=0 Phyto Images, ''Crepidium'', 92 images] *[http://www.orchidspecies.com/malaxiscalophylla.htm IOSPE orchid photos, ''Crepidium calophyllum'' photo by Danny Lentz]

Category:Crepidium Category:Malaxideae genera Category:Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Blume