Vrydagzynea Blume,
Coll. Orchid. (1858) 71, t. 17, 19, 20
Sympodial terrestrial or rarely epiphytic plants. Stem elongated, slightly succulent, basal part creeping, forming a rhizome, apical part erect, few-leaved. Leaves crowded at the stem-apex or distributed along the erect part of the stem, sheathing at the base, glabrous, persistent, convolute, green to blackish green, sometimes with lighter markings, or rarely with white to pink veins, herbaceous. Inflorescence terminal, a dense, few-to many-flowered, often short-stalked raceme. Flowers small, resupinate, not opening widely, usually greenish. Sepals free, very fleshy at the apex. Petals free, about as long as the dorsal sepal, usually cohering at the apices. Lip spurred, not mobile, inside the spur with two stalked glands. Column-foot absent. Pollinia 2, sectile, caudicles present, stipe absent, viscidium present. Stigma with two clearly separated lobes.
Distribution
India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Pacific islands, east to Tonga; about 40 species.
Distribution in the Philippines
Luzon (Kalinga-Apayao, Rizal, Laguna, Quezon, Tayabas, Sorsogon), Polillo, Mindoro, Negros, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao (Zamboanga, Bukidnon, Davao), Sulu; 2 species.
Habitat
Terrestrial in lowland and montane forest, often near small streams.
Notes
Vrydagzynea is a highly distinctive genus in the Goodyera alliance. The small, spurred flowers that hardly open are usually tightly packed in racemes that often seem to 'sit' on the leaves, as the peduncle is normally quite short. Characteristic is the pair of drumstick-shaped glands in the spur. Except for a few non-Philippine species with colourful leaves, such as V. tristriata Ridl., species of Vrydagzynea are completely lacking in horticultural potential. Ecologically they are quite interesting in that several species only grow near running water within the forest. It is not known whether this is true of the Philippine members of the genus as well.