Corycium

Corycium is a genus of terrestrial orchids comprising some 14 species in Eastern and Southern Africa including 10 species native to the fynbos.^[1] In South Africa they are called monkshood orchids.

Monkshood orchids
Corycium orobanchoides 1838 illustration from Edwards's Botanical Register
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Orchideae
Subtribe:	Coryciinae
Genus:	Corycium Sw.

Corycium range map

Their resting stage is a tuber and when growing they have many leaves scattered along the stem but concentrated near the base. The dense spikes of flowers are not particularly striking and are often brown, green or purple. The uppermost 3 tepals are connivent into a hood whilst the lateral sepals are almost united. The lip is joined to the column bearing an appendage that covers the anthers

Species

• Corycium alticola Parkman & Schelpe - South Africa, Lesotho
• Corycium bicolorum (Thunb.) Sw. - South Africa
• Corycium bifidum Sond. - South Africa
• Corycium carnosum (Lindl.) Rolfe in W.H.Harvey - South Africa
• Corycium crispum (Thunb.) Sw. - South Africa
• Corycium deflexum (Bolus) Rolfe in W.H.Harvey - South Africa
• Corycium dracomontanum Parkman & Schelpe - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi
• Corycium excisum Lindl. - South Africa
• Corycium flanaganii (Bolus) Kurzweil & H.P.Linder - South Africa, Lesotho
• Corycium ingeanum E.G.H.Oliv. - South Africa
• Corycium microglossum Lindl. - South Africa
• Corycium nigrescens Sond. - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Tanzania
• Corycium orobanchoides (L.f.) Sw. - South Africa
• Corycium tricuspidatum Bolus - South Africa