Lycaste

''Lycaste'', abbreviated as Lyc. in horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids that contains about 30 species with egg-shaped pseudobulbs and thin, plicate (pleated) leaves.

Description

''Lycaste'' flowers, like all orchid blooms, have three petals and three sepals. The petals are typically yellow, white, or orange, and the sepals are yellow, orange, green, or reddish brown. The petals and sepals may be marked sparsely or densely with red, reddish purple, purple, or reddish brown spots. The lip (ventral petal) may be very similar to the other two petals, as in ''Lycaste aromatica'' or ''Lycaste brevispatha'', or colored quite distinctively, as in several subspecies and varieties of '' Lycaste macrophylla''. Most ''Lycaste'' flowers are medium in size, averaging about 5 to 10 cm, but ''Lycaste schilleriana'' is 16–18 cm across. Some ''Lycaste'' blooms have a unique fragrance - the scent of ''Lycaste aromatica'' has been variously described as cinnamon or clove. The blooms of the species ''Lycaste cochleata'', ''Lycaste consobrina'', and ''Lycaste cruenta'' also have a pleasant scent.

Taxonomy

The ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'', maintained by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, is recognized by the American Orchid Society as the definitive authority on orchid taxonomy. The ''Checklist'' currently acknowledges 31 species of ''Lycaste'', 3 natural hybrids, 2 subspecies (and 1 nominate subspecies), and 1 variety. Orchid growers and orchid collectors, who tend to be taxonomic splitters more often than lumpers, recognize additional subspecies and varieties of ''Lycaste'', as well as alba (white) forms of several species.

Sections

The ''Lycastes'' are divided into four sections and two subsections:
*Section ''Deciduosae'' - deciduous, that is, they usually lose their leaves during an annual dormant period
**Subsection ''Xanthanthae'' - have yellow to orange blooms; the name comes from ''xantho'' (yellow) and ''anthos'' (flower)
**Subsection ''Paradeciduosae'' - have pink-marked white blooms; the name comes from ''para'' (similar or near) and ''deciduosae'' (deciduous)
*Section ''Longisepalae'' - has very long sepals
*Section ''Macrophyllae'' - keep their leaves during dormancy; the name comes from ''macro'' (large) and ''phyllae'' (leaves)
*Section ''Fimbriatae'' - typically have fringed lips

All but two of the ''Deciduosae'' have spines at the apices of their pseudobulbs, that become exposed when the leaves are dropped. The exceptions are the ''Xanthanthae'' species ''Lycaste lasioglossa'' and the ''Paradeciduosae'' species ''Lycaste tricolor''. Both of these species lack spines, and may bloom when leaves are still present.

List of species by section

''Xanthanthae''
*''Lycaste aromatica''
*''Lycaste bradeorum''
*''Lycaste campbelli''
*''Lycaste cochleata''
*''Lycaste consobrina''
*''Lycaste crinita''
*''Lycaste cruenta''
*''Lycaste deppei''
*''Lycaste lasioglossa''
*'' Lycaste macrobulbon''

''Paradeciduosae''
*''Lycaste brevispatha''
*''Lycaste tricolor''

''Macrophyllae''

*'' Lycaste dowiana''
*'' Lycaste leucantha''
*'' Lycaste macrophylla''
** ''Lycaste macrophylla'' var. ''desboisiana''
** ''Lycaste macrophylla'' subsp. ''macrophylla''
**''Lycaste macrophylla'' subsp. ''puntarenasensis''
**''Lycaste macrophylla'' subsp. ''xanthocheila''
*'' Lycaste neglecta''
*'' Lycaste powellii''
*''Lycaste skinneri''
*'' Lycaste xytriophora''

''Fimbriatae''
*'' Lycaste longipetala''
*'' Lycaste mesochlaena''

Natural hybrids
*''Lycaste'' × ''groganii'' (''Lycaste aromatica'' × ''Lycaste deppei'')
*''Lycaste'' × ''michelii'' (''Lycaste cochleata'' × ''Lycaste lasioglossa'')
*''Lycaste'' × ''smeeana'' (''Lycaste deppei'' × ''Lycaste skinneri'')

Hybrids
*''Angulocaste'' (''Anguloa'' × ''Lycaste'')
*''Cochlecaste'' (''Cochleanthes'' × ''Lycaste'')
*''Colaste'' (''Colax'' × ''Lycaste'')
*''Lycasteria'' (''Bifrenaria'' × ''Lycaste'')
*''Lycida'' (''Ida'' × ''Lycaste'')
*''Maxillacaste'' (''Lycaste'' × ''Maxillaria'')
*''Zygocaste'' (''Lycaste'' × ''Zygopetalum'')

A 2002 revision of the ''Lycaste'' genus moved many species of the section ''Fimbriatae'' to a new genus, '' Ida''. The 34 species of ''Ida'' occur in South America and the Caribbean Islands (''Ida barringtoniae''), while true ''Lycastes'' occur mostly in Mexico and Central America. The genus ''Ida'' is recognized by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons.

References

Well-written web site by Phil Tomlinson on ''Lycastes'' and the closely related genus ''Anguloa''; the ''Lycaste'' information is based largely on the 1970 monograph by Dr. J. A. Fowlie.
* , search for "Lycaste"
* Fowlie, J. A., 1970: The Genus ''Lycaste''; privately printed
* Dr. Henry F. Oakeley, 1993 : ''Lycaste Species: The Essential Guide''
* Dr. Henry F. Oakeley, 2008 : ''Lycaste, Ida and Anguloa: The Essential Guide''
* A.F.W. (Fred) Alcorn and Michael S. Hallett, 1993. Lycaste orchids : cultivation and hybridisation''

External links

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American Orchid Society culture sheet for ''Lycaste''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2319547

Maxillariinae genera