Corycium is a genus of terrestrial orchids comprising some 14 species in Eastern and Southern Africa including 10 species native to the fynbos. In South Africa they are called monkshood orchids.
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
References
(1800) Kongl. Vetenskaps Academiens Nya Handlingar 21: 220. (2001) Orchidoideae (Part 1). Genera Orchidacearum 2: 23 ff. Oxford University Press.