Chloraea membranacea Lindley

Echeverría, María L., Alonso, Sara I. & Comparatore, Viviana M., 2017, Survey of the vascular plants of Sierra Chica, the untouched area of the Paititi Natural Reserve (southeastern Tandilia mountain range, Buenos Aires province, Argentina), Check List 13 (6), pp. 1003-1036 : 1017-1018

Chloraea membranacea Lindley

Figure 12 Chloraea membranacea Lindley (1840) : 401 — Cabrera (1968): 588;

Hurrell (2009a): 344; Flora Argentina (2017); Tropicos (2017).

Cryptophyte, native with distribution in the Southern Cone Region of South America.

Characteristics. Terrestrial herb, 40–70 cm tall, including inflorescence, with folded, fleshy roots. Basal leaves 5 or 6, elliptic in shape, to 15 cm long, with subacute apex. Inflorescence: a raceme; flowers greenish-white; labellum margin entire or slightly trilobed, covered by cilindrical, capitated, darker, blackish-brown to black appendices. Stamens with anthers inclined. Fruit: a capsule.

Comments. This is a rare species in the study area. It grows in damp soils, in shady places under trees. Chloraea membranacea is the only species of Chloraea known from Buenos Aires province and is distinguished from other Orchidaceae by its folded, thickened, fleshy roots, and its inclined anthers.