Sciaphila

Sciaphila is a genus of mycoheterotrophic plants in the family Triuridaceae. These plants receive nutrition from fungi and neighboring trees and have less need for photosynthesis. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, found in Africa, China, Japan, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Latin America (from southern Mexico to Brazil) and on various islands Pacific Islands. The most noteworthy feature of the genus is the number of the various flower parts (sepals, petals. stamens etc.) 99.9 percent of Monocots are trimerous (parts in threes or multiples of three), but Sciaphila spp. can have eight or even ten parts in a whorl.