FOCS Terminology

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Female Orchid Classification System

This section introduces revised and new FOCS terminology. Orchids have a number of “happening places” where anatomical names are woefully inadequate to describe an exact place or feature. This is the first step in developing orchid specificity by revising or defining new terminology.

As previously indicated, anatomical terms are insufficient to describe the diversity or the complexity of female genitalia. The following new morphological terms are introduced below.

Note: In this and subsequent sections, wherever labium or labia is used, it refers to the labia(um) minora unless otherwise indicated.

Sheath and Hood

A distinction needs to be made between the larger covering of the clitoris and the inverted V end of the anatomically named hood. The sheath is the tissue that covers the protruding section of the underlying clitoris whereas the hood is the distinctive inverted V shaped (or other type) tissue at the end of the sheath that usually protects the glans. More examples below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: There are more varieties of hood shapes (than the inverted V shown above) which are fully discussed and illustrated in later sections.

Labia Prime and Lesser

Anatomically, labia are labia. There is no distinction made between the bulbous or rounded part of the labium versus the flatter, minimalist part of the labium. A distinction must be made to fully understand foundational structures in the FOCS system described later. In FOCS terminology, the labium is segregated into labium prime and labium lesser as illustrated below.

A few more easily determined examples of the distinction between the labium prime and the labium lesser.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are significant variations in labia prime and lesser (may be absent). which are discussed and illustrated in depth under the Labia Section. The above examples are used to illustrate the principle.

Lingual and Buccal

When viewing the labium prime and lesser, it is necessary to distinguish the inside versus the outside of the labia. To borrow from dentistry, the terms are lingual (closest to the tongue) and buccal (closest to the cheek).

For FOCS terminology purposes, the term labia or labium lingual means the inside of the labium (shown in the open position) and the labia or labium buccal is the outside of the labium (shown in the closed position) as examples following show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glans Archetype

An archetype represents the model or a standard of a particular form. For example, a rose you would buy from a florist can be recognized as being beyond the bud stage but not fully open. It has an easily recognized archetype rose form, more specifically that of a hybrid tea variety.

The glans archetype is one of (and perhaps the most common) standard feature and form of most orchids. Glans is used for both anatomical and morphological description, however glans stems is a new FOCS term to better articulate parts of the glans.

The glans stems seamlessly transition and transform into, and are the origin of, the labia minora in the glans archetype as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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