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Geosiris

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Stan Shebs (talk | contribs) at 18:15, 6 December 2004 (a very obscure iris-like plant). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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Geosiris aphylla Baillon, sometimes called the "earth-iris", is an unusual species in the iris family Iridaceae. Native to Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean, it is a small mycotrophic saprophyte lacking chlorophyll. It is the sole member of the genus.

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.

In 1939, Jonker assigned Geosiris to its own family Geosiridaceae in Orchidales, and this was adopted in the Conquist 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.