''Acrorchis'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

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 ...

from 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 ...

), subfamily

Epidendroideae Epidendroideae is a subfamily of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes ...

, tribe

Epidendreae The tribe Epidendreae of the Orchidaceae, within the subfamily Epidendroideae, includes six subtribes, approximately 120 genera, and over 6,000 species. Popular among orchid collectors, it features well-known genera such as Laelia, Cattleya, and ...

, subtribe

Laeliinae Laeliinae is a Neotropical subtribe including 40 orchid genera, such as '' Brassavola'', ''Laelia'' and ''Cattleya''. The genus ''Epidendrum'' is the largest within this subtribe, containing about 1500 species. This is followed by the genus ''En ...

. The only species, ''Acrorchis roseola'', is an

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 ...

orchid that occurs in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

at heights between 900 and 2,500 m. It is clump-forming, magenta orchid, reaching a height of 15 cm. 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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s of its small

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 have distinct lengths and shapes. The base of the

lip The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

has a white color on the margins.Dressler, Robert Louis. 1990. ''Acrorchis'', a new genus from the mountains of Panama and Costa Rica Orquídea (Mexico City), n.s. 12(1): 11-17, f. This orchid is very rare in cultivation.

References

External links

photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Panama, holotype of ''Acrorchis roseola''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q20801, from2=Q15104224 Laeliinae Monotypic Epidendroideae genera Orchids of Costa Rica Orchids of Panama Epiphytic orchids Laeliinae genera