''Acineta'', abbreviated as Acn in horticultural trade, is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

belonging to the orchid family ( Orchidaceae). The name is derived from the Greek word 'akinetos' (immobile), referring to the rigid labellum (lip). These epiphytic orchids occur in tropical mountainous forests from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to western

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, at altitudes up to 2,000 m. They are sometimes lithophytic when found on steep embankments. The large, plicate leaves are parallel-nerved and resemble those of '' Peristeria'' and '' Lycaste'', while the structure of the flowers bears a closer resemblance to ''

Stanhopea ''Stanhopea'' is a genus of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) from Central and South America. The abbreviation used in horticultural trade is ''Stan.'' The genus is named for the 4th Earl of Stanhope (Philip Henry Stanhope) (1781-1855), president ...

''. The species produce a

pendent Pendent is an adjective that describes the condition of hanging, either literally, or figuratively, as in undecided or incomplete. The word is to be distinguished from the spelling "pendant", which is the noun. * In botany and anatomy the term ...

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

, bearing racemes of many fragrant cup-shaped, pale yellow to reddish brown

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s. The sidelobes of the labellum (lip) come together in a central

callus A callus is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, but they may o ...

. The basal part of the lip ( hypochile) is at least as long as the sidelobes. The column is pubescent. The column of these orchids bears two

pollinia A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...

, except in ''Acineta dalessandroi'', which has four (making its classification in this genus doubtful). These orchids are insect pollinated by male bees in the genus '' Eulaema'' or ''

Eufriesia ''Eufriesea'' is a genus of euglossine bees. Like all orchid bees, they are restricted to the Neotropics. All species range from entirely to at least partially metallic (the face and/or tegulae), though much of the body in some species may be b ...

''. Some regard these as being among of the most splendid looking of all orchids. For relatives of ''Acineta'' see Stanhopeinae.

Intergeneric hybrids

* ''Aciopea'' (''Acienta'' × ''

'') * ''Acinbreea'' (''Acineta'' × '' Embreea'')

References

* Günter Gerlach 2001. "Die Subtribus Stanhopeinae: 3. Horichia bis Lacaena," in: J. Orchideenfreund 8(2): 105-118 (2001) - col. illus.

External links

* *
Nina Rach, "The Genus Acineta"
{{Taxonbar, from=Q20946 Stanhopeinae genera Epiphytic orchids