# Townsonia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Townsonia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Townsonia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsonia > Source revision: 1354657137 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Genus of flowering plants Myrtle beech orchids Townsonia deflexa Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Orchidoideae Tribe: Diurideae Subtribe: Acianthinae Genus: Townsonia Cheeseman[1] Type species Townsonia deflexa[2] Cheeseman, 1906 ***Townsonia***, commonly called **myrtle beech orchids** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of two species of [flowering plants](/source/Flowering_plant) from the [orchid](/source/Orchid) [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)), [Orchidaceae](/source/Orchidaceae). They form small clusters of plants with their [tubers](/source/Tuber) connected, each tuber with one or two leaves. The flowers are inconspicuous. ## Description Orchids in the genus *Townsonia* are [terrestrial](/source/Terrestrial_plant), [perennial](/source/Perennial_plant), [deciduous](/source/Deciduous), [sympodial](/source/Sympodial) [herbs](/source/Herbaceous_plant) which grow in small groups with their tubers connected by a fleshy root. Each tuber produces one or two leaves. The leaves are very thin with wavy margins. Those on non-flowering plants have a relatively long, fleshy [petiole](/source/Petiole_(botany)) near ground level. Flowering plants have a similar leaf but lack a petiole, the leaf on the side of a brittle flowering stem. The flowers are small and pale coloured and have a [dorsal](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dorsal) [sepal](/source/Sepal) wider than the [lateral](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lateral) sepals. The [petals](/source/Petal) are much smaller than the sepals. The [labellum](/source/Labellum_(botany)) is much different in size and shape from the petals and sepals, folded lengthwise with a narrow, ridge-like [callus](/source/Labellum_(botany)) along the mid-line.[3][4] ## Taxonomy and naming *Townsonia* was first formally described in 1906 by [Thomas Frederic Cheeseman](/source/Thomas_Frederic_Cheeseman) who published the description in *Manual of the New Zealand Flora*.[1] Cheeseman described *[T. deflexa](/source/Townsonia_deflexa)* in the same publication making it the [type species](/source/Type_(biology)).[2][5] The name *Townsonia* honours "Mr. W. Townson, of Westport", who discovered the species.[6] The names of three species of *Townsonia* are accepted by [Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online) as at August 2022:[7] - *[Townsonia apetala](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Townsonia_apetala&action=edit&redlink=1)* ([Rchb.f.](/source/Rchb.f.)) [M.A.Clem.](/source/M.A.Clem.) & [D.L.Jones](/source/David_L._Jones_(botanist)) (New Caledonia) - *[Townsonia deflexa](/source/Townsonia_deflexa)* [Cheeseman](/source/Thomas_Frederic_Cheeseman) (New Zealand) - *[Townsonia viridis](/source/Townsonia_viridis)* ([Hook.f.](/source/Hook.f.)) [Schltr.](/source/Schltr.) (Australia) ## See also - [List of Orchidaceae genera](/source/List_of_Orchidaceae_genera) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-PoWO_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-PoWO_1-1) ["*Townsonia*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30821-1). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 3 December 2022. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-PoWOt_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-PoWOt_2-1) ["*Townsonia deflexa*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:660386-1). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 3 December 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Jones_3-0)** Jones, David L. (2006). *A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories*. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 163. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1877069124](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1877069124). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-eMonocot_4-0)** ["*Townsonia* Cheeseman"](http://e-monocot.org/taxon/urn:kew.org:wcs:taxon:207050). Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved 3 May 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI_5-0)** ["*Townsonia*"](https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/523425). APNI. Retrieved 3 May 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Cheeseman_6-0)** [Cheeseman, T. F.](/source/Thomas_Cheeseman) (1906), [*Manual of the New Zealand flora*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/44765#page/5/mode/1up), J. Mackay, Govt. Printer, p. 691, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5962/BHL.TITLE.12003](https://doi.org/10.5962%2FBHL.TITLE.12003), [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [4397520](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/4397520), [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [234533M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL234533M), [Wikidata](/source/WDQ_(identifier)) [Q51396409](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51396409) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO_7-0)** ["*Townsonia*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/results?q=Townsonia). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 13 August 2022. Taxon identifiers Townsonia Wikidata: Q7830267 Wikispecies: Townsonia APNI: 97910 BOLD: 1121260 CoL: 8W48Y GBIF: 2836168 GRIN: 16820 iNaturalist: 323978 IPNI: 30821-1 IRMNG: 1023783 NCBI: 177001 NZOR: 35963c8e-09f6-4f09-9417-de82153c6bff Open Tree of Life: 933015 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30821-1 Tropicos: 40015825 WFO: wfo-4000038655 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Townsonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsonia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsonia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.