Kingdom Plantae Subfamily Orchidoideae Subtribe Satyriinae Order Asparagales | Family Orchidaceae Tribe Diseae Rank Genus | |
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Similar Disa, Satyrium nepalense, Holothrix, Disperis, Pterygodium | ||
Satyrium is a genus of orchids. The Kew plant list for 2010 listed 85 full species as accepted, ignoring synonyms, subspecies and hybrids etc. About ten were still unresolved at the time. Most of the species occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The ranges of four species extend to Asia, mainly in India and Sri Lanka. Hybridization occurs between several species, complicating molecular phylogenetic studies, especially those relying on mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA sequences.
The genus most closely related to Satyrium is presumed to be Pachites, which together with Satyrium makes up the subtribe Satyriinae of the Diseae. Historically other species with helmet-shaped flowers e.g. Aceras, Chamorchis and Platanthera, often were included in the genus Satyrium, but far from belonging in the same genus, they no longer are included even within the Satyriinae, but within the tribe Orchideae.
