| Geosiris | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Geosiridoideae Goldblatt & J.C.Manning |
| Genus: | Geosiris Baillon |
| Type species | |
| Geosiris aphylla Baillon |
|
Geosiris is a genus in the Iridaceae family of flowering plants. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Geosiris aphylla, sometimes called the "earth-iris" sometimes not. Native to Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean, G. aphylla is a small myco-heterotroph lacking chlorophyll. The genus name is derived from the Greek words geos, meaning "earth", and iris, referring to the Iris family of plants.[1]
Its rhizomes are slender and scaly, and stems are simple or branched. The leaves are alternate, but having no use, are reduced and scale-like. The flowers are light purple.
In 1939, F. P. Jonker assigned Geosiris to its own family Geosiridaceae in Orchidales, and this was adopted in the Cronquist system, with a note that the family was closely related to Iridaceae or Burmanniaceae. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has since subsumed the family into Iridaceae.