Accessory Features

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Female Orchid Classification System

There are two features which occur below the vagina that are minor, but identifiable as having common patterns. These two features are stirrup and ribbon, with stirrup having a more common occurrence and ribbon having a less common occurrence.

Stirrup

In some orchids, there is tissue, similar to ridgeforms or labial tissue, that create various forms of semi-circles at the posterior of the vagina. This feature is designated as a stirrup. Stirrups generally have a similarity in tissue type with the labia lesser, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just another type of ridgeform. A stirrup is visibly different from, or discontinuous (break) with, the labia lesser. It is not considered a stirrup where the labia lesser surrounds the vagina (as described under the Labia Extent Section). Care must be taken to not identify a stirrup that is in reality a segmented labia extent. The stirrup may fuse with one or both labium lessers but is distinct from the labia lessers. Stirrups may have V-like, round or oblong shapes as examples below illustrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ribbon

In some orchids, there is tissue, similar to ridgeforms or labial tissue, that form a single strip from the either the labia or stirrup to the anus. In FOCS, this feature is designated as a ribbon. As with many other features, ribbons are really just ridgeforms in a specific location. There does not seem to be a huge amount of variation amongst ribbon features.

Below are ribbon examples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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