Triuridaceae

Classification: Monocots, Pandanales

Genera: Sciaphila, Triuris, Seychellaria, Kupea, Kihansia, Triuridopsis, Peltophyllum, Lacandonia, Soridium

Diversity: Triuridaceae comprise approximately 50 species in 11 genera and three tribes. With ca. 30 species, Sciaphila is the most species-rich genus, other genera include only a few species each. All species of Triuridaceae are fully mycoheterotrophic.

Distribution and habitat: Triuridaceae occur throughout the tropical parts of the Old and the New World and reach the subtropics in Japan. Sciaphila has a pantropical distribution, all other genera are confined to one continent. Triuridaceae generally grow in dense and humid forests, between leaf litter, at the base of large trees or along the bank of streams. Less frequently, they are found in temporarily inundated forests, forests on white sand, bamboo thickets, or on termite nests (Sciaphila purpurea, S. arfakiana). They often grow in close association with other mycoheterotrophic plants of various families.

Photos