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

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

belonging to the orchid family (

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

). The name is derived from the Greek word 'akinetos' (immobile), referring to the rigid labellum (lip). These

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

orchids occur in tropical mountainous forests from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

to western

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, at altitudes up to 2,000 m. They are sometimes lithophytic when found on steep embankments. The large, plicate

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

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 America, Central and South America. The abbreviation used in horticultural trade is ''Stan.'' The genus is named for the Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope, 4th Earl o ...

''. The species produce a pendent

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

, bearing

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

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

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

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

callus A callus (: calluses) 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, b ...

. The basal part of the lip ( hypochile) is at least as long as the sidelobes. The

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

is pubescent. The column of these orchids bears two pollinia, 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''. Some regard these as being among of the most splendid looking of all orchids. For relatives of ''Acineta'' see

Stanhopeinae Stanhopeinae is a subtribe of plants in the tribe Cymbidieae. The subtribe in the strict sense, have viscidia and stipes that are thin and strap-like, they are adapted for attachment to edge of the bee's scutellum or to a leg. Pseudobulbs are us ...

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