The

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

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 ...

''Dracula'', abbreviated as Drac in horticultural trade, consists of 118

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

native to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. The name ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...

'' literally means "little dragon", an allusion to the mythical

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...

, a lead character in numerous

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

novels and films. The name was applied to the orchid because of the blood-red color of several of the species, and the strange aspect of the long spurs of the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s. The plants were once included in the genus ''

Masdevallia ''Masdevallia'', abbreviated Masd in horticultural trade, is a large genus of flowering plants of the Pleurothallidinae, a subtribe of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). There are over 500 species, grouped into several subgenera. The genus is nam ...

'', but became a separate genus in 1978. This genus has been placed in the subtribe

Pleurothallidinae The Pleurothallidinae are a neotropical subtribe of plants of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) including 29 genera in more than 4000 species. Naturally occurring species of this subtribe are among the more popular orchids of horticulturalists, es ...

Description

They are epiphytic and

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

species distributed in

and the northwest

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. Almost half the species are found in

. They prefer shade and rather cool temperatures. These

caespitose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

orchids grow in tufts from a short

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ...

, with a dense pack of stems. They lack

pseudobulb The pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed heteroblastic and ...

s. On each stems grows one large, thin,

plicate Plicata, ''plicate'', ''plicated'', ''pleated A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabr ...

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

with a sharply defined midrib. These glabrous, light to dark green leaves may be spongy, taking over the function of the missing pseudobulb. They are tipped with a mucro (a short tip) The

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 mechanis ...

stalks grow either horizontally from the base of the plant or descend, often for great distances. A few species grow upright flower stalks. The long-tailed terminal flowers are basically triangular. The flowers are borne singly or successively. Three species (sodiroi, decussata/neisseniae, and papillosa) may have up to three simultaneously open flowers on a single stalk. In general, though, if there is more than one flower bud on the raceme, they open up with long intervals. These flowers have a weird aspect, due to the long tails on each

. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s are small and somewhat thickened. Quite commonly, various species of ''Dracula'' are known for blooms resembling the faces of primates, a notable example being ''

Dracula simia ''Dracula simia'', called also monkey orchid or the monkey-like ''Dracula'', is an epiphytic orchid originally described in the genus '' Masdevallia'', Description of ''Masdevallia simia'' on pages 229-230 but later moved to the genus ''Dracula' ...

''. However, this likeness to monkeys’ faces seems to be purely a natural coincidence to the primates living in the same forests. In fact, these flowers are pollinated by the common

fungus gnat Fungus gnats are small, dark, short-lived gnats, of the families Sciaridae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Bolitophilidae, and Mycetophilidae (order Diptera); they comprise six of the seven families placed in the superfamily Sc ...

; the bloom’s

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

is often quite large (for a ''Pleurothallid''), and from the fungus gnat’s perspective, resembles an irresistible mushroom or fungus. Research by biologists at the University of Oregon indicates that ''D. lafleurii'' also possesses a uniquely volatile chemistry, similar to localized species of mushrooms. This mimicry attracts mushroom-associated flies which play a role in pollination. The basal part of the lip (hypochile) is cleft. The terminal part (epichile) is rounded and concave. The margins of the

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla ( petals) or tepals when ...

are often fringed. There is a well-developed

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...

with 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 ...

Taxonomy

The species of ''Dracula'' have tentatively been divided into three subgenera, with sections and subsections within one of the subgenera. *Subgenus ''Dracula'' : This subgenus contains all the species of the genus except two exceptional species (''D. sodiroi'' and ''D. xenos'') **Section ''Andreettaea'' : Monotypic: ''Dracula andreettae'' **Section ''Chestertonia'' : two species: ''Dracula chestertonii'', ''D. cutis-bufonis'' **Section ''Cochliopsia'' : Monotypic: ''Dracula cochliops'' **Section ''Dodsonia'' : Four species: ''Dracula dodsonii'', ''D. insolita'', ''D. iricolor'', ''D. portillae'' **Section ''Dracula'' : largest section ***Subsection ''Costatae'' : e.g. ''Dracula bella'', ''D. vespertilio'' ***Subsection ''Dracula'' : ****Series ''Dracula'' : e.g. ''Dracula chimaera'', ''D. tubeana'', ''D. vampira'' ****Series ''Grandiflorae-Parvilabiatae'' : e.g. ''Dracula gigas'', ''D. platycrater'' ****Series ''Parviflorae'' : e.g. ''Dracula houtteana'', ''D. lotax'' *Subgenus ''Sodiroa'' : Two ''Dracula sodiroi'', ''D. erythrocodon'' *Subgenus ''Xenosia'' : Monotypic : ''Dracula xenos'' ---- *'' Dracula adrianae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula alcithoe'' (SW. Colombia to NE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula amaliae'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula andreettae'' (W. Colombia to NE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula anthracina'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula antonii'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula aphrodes'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula astuta'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula barrowii'' (Peru) *'' Dracula bella'' (WC. Colombia) *'' Dracula bellerophon'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula benedictii'' (WC. Colombia) *'' Dracula berthae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula brangeri'' (C. Colombia) *'' Dracula callithrix'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula carcinopsis'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula carlueri'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula chestertonii'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula chimaera'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula chiroptera'' (SW. Colombia to NE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula christineana'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula circe'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula citrina'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula cochliops'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula cordobae'' (SW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula cutis-bufonis'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula dalessandroi'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula dalstroemii'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula decussata'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula deltoidea'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula deniseana'' (Peru) *'' Dracula diabola'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula diana'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula dodsonii'' (Colombia to NC. Ecuador) *'' Dracula erythrochaete'' (Costa Rica to W. Panama) *'' Dracula erythrocodon'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula exasperata'' ( SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula fafnir'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula felix'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula fuligifera'' (C. Ecuador) *'' Dracula gastrophora'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula gigas'' (W. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula gorgona'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula gorgonella'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula hawleyi'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula hirsuta'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula hirtzii'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula houtteana'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula immunda'' (Panama) *'' Dracula inaequalis'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula incognita'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula inexperata'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula insolita'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula janetiae'' (C. Peru) *'' Dracula kareniae'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula lafleurii'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula lehmanniana'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula lemurella'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula leonum'' (Peru) *'' Dracula levii'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula ligiae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula lindstroemii'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula lotax'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula mantissa'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula marsupialis'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula mendozae'' Luer & V.N.M.Rao (Ecuador) *'' Dracula minax'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula mopsus'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula morleyi'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula navarrorum'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula nigritella'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula nosferatu'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula nycterina'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula octavioi'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula olmosii'' (Panama) Dracula Olmosii Bloom Profile

*'' Dracula ophioceps'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula orientalis'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula ortiziana'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula papillosa'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula pholeodytes'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula pileus'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula platycrater'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula polyphemus'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula portillae'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula posadarum'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula presbys'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula psittacina'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula psyche'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula pubescens'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula pusilla'' (SE. Mexico to C. America) *'' Dracula radiella'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula radiosa'' (E. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula rezekiana'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula ripleyana'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula robledorum'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula rojasii'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula roezlii'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula saulii'' (Peru) *'' Dracula schudelii'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula senex-furens''(Colombia) *'' Dracula sergioi'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula severa'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula sibundoyensis'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula sijmii'' (Ecuador) *''

'' (SE. Ecuador) *''

Dracula sodiroi ''Dracula sodiroi'' is a species of orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they ar ...

'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula syndactyla'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula terborchii'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula trichroma'' (W. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula trinympharum'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula tsubotae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula tubeana'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula ubangina'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula vampira'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula veliziana'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula velutina'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula venefica'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula venosa'' (W. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula verticulosa'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula vespertilio'' (Nicaragua to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula villegasii'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula vinacea'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula vlad-tepes'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula wallisii'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula woolwardiae'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula xenos'' (Colombia)

Hybrids

*''Dracula × anicula'' (''D. cutis-bufonis'' × ''D. wallisii'') (Colombia). *''Dracula × radiosyndactyla'' (''D. radiosa'' × ''D. syndactyla'') (SW. Colombia).

Footnote

References

*Luer, Carlyle A. 1978: ''Dracula'', a New Genus in the Pleurothallidinae. Selbyana 2: 190-198. *Luer, Carlyle A. 1993: Icones Pleurothallidinarum X - Systematics of ''Dracula''. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 46.
Arkive : Dracula vampira

External links

*
''Dracula'' Species Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133719 Epiphytic orchids Pleurothallidinae genera Orchids of Mexico Orchids of Central America Orchids of Colombia Orchids of Ecuador Orchids of Peru Garden plants of Central America Garden plants of South America