Acampe

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Acampe Lindley, 1853 is a genus of seven monopodial, epiphytic vandaceous species distributed from tropical Africa to India, eastwards to China and southwards to Malaya, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea.

The name Acampe was derived from the Greek word akampas, meaning "rigid", referring to the little, brittle, inflexible flowers.

These species produce slow-growing, medium-sized vines that form very large vegetative masses in nature. They are noted for their thick, leathery, distichous leaves.

They produce fragrant small to medium-sized yellow flowers, barred with brown stripes, in a few to many-flowered racemose inflorescence. The brittle sepals and petals look alike. The ear-shaped, fringed, white labellum (lip) is [Wiktionary:saccate|saccate] (sac-shaped) or has a spur, and has red markings at its base. The fleshy column is short and has two waxy pollinia.

Due to their large size and small flowers, they are rarely cultivated.

Species

• Acampe carinata (India and Himalaya to Hainan).
• Acampe cephalotes (Assam)
• Acampe ochracea (India to E. Himalaya and Indo-China)
• Acampe pachyglossa (S. Somalia to S. Africa, W. Indian Ocean).
• Acampe praemorsa (India, Sri Lanka).
• Acampe rigida (Trop. & Subtrop. Asia, New Guinea).
• Acampe thailandica (Thailand).