''Brassia'' is a

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 ...

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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s classified in the subtribe

Oncidiinae The Oncidiinae is a subtribe within the Orchidaceae that consists of a number of genera that are closely related. This subtribe consists of about 70 genera with over 1000 species, with ''Oncidium'' as its largest genus. These genera consist of a ...

. It is native to

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 ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, and northern

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 ...

, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. The genus was named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator, who collected plants in Africa under the supervision of Sir

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English Natural history, naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the European and American voyages of scientific exploration, 1766 natural-history ...

. Its abbreviation in the horticultural trade is Brs.

Description

''Brassia''

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

and its popular hybrids are common in cultivation, and are notable for the characteristic long and spreading

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s (in some clones longer than 50 cm), which lend them the common name spider orchid. This

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 ...

genus occurs in wet forests from sea level to altitudes under 1500 m, with the Peruvian

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

as its center of diversity. Occurrence is mostly restricted to a certain area, but ''Brassia caudata'' can be found over the whole geographic area. They have large elliptic-oblong

pseudobulb In botany, a 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 ''heter ...

s with one or two leaves at the apex, lateral, unbranched many-flowered

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 ...

s with small floral

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s. 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 ...

is not attached to the column. The

pollinarium A pollinium (: 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 milkwee ...

shows a narrow stipe. There are two distichous, foliaceous sheaths around the base, from which the inflorescence emerges. ''Brassia'' has a very specific method for pollination; it uses entomophily -

pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or bu ...

by insects - and in this case specifically by female spider-hunter wasps of the genera ''

Pepsis ''Pepsis'' (from Ancient Greek πέψι lit. ''pepsis'' meaning 'digestion, cooking') is a genus of spider wasps belonging to the family Spider wasp, Pompilidae. Species within this genus are also called tarantula hawks, as they usually hunt t ...

'' and ''

Campsomeris ''Campsomeris'' is a Neotropical genus of the family Scoliidae, also known as the scoliid wasps. They are generally parasites of beetle larvae, most often of Scarabaeidae. Description and identification ''Campsomeris'' are large wasps with com ...

''. Mistaken by the

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...

of ''Brassia'', the wasp stings the

, while trying to grasp its prey without any success. By these movements the wasp comes into contact with the pollinarium, that then sticks to its head. By flying to another ''Brassia'' flower, this flower gets pollinated.

List of species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: *''

Brassia allenii ''Brassia allenii'' is a species of orchid. It is native to Honduras 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 Cos ...

'' L.O.Williams ex C.Schweinf. – Honduras, Panama *'' Brassia andina'' (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia andreettae'' (Dodson) Senghas – Ecuador *'' Brassia angusta'' Lindl. – Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil *'' Brassia angustilabia'' Schltr. – Panama, Brazil (Amazonas) *'' Brassia arachnoidea'' Barb.Rodr. – Rio de Janeiro *''

Brassia arcuigera ''Brassia arcuigera'', the arching brassia, is a species of orchid (family Orchidaceae). It is native to Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western So ...

'' Rchb.f. – Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia aurantiaca'' (Lindl.) M.W.Chase – Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador *'' Brassia aurorae'' D.E.Benn. – Peru *'' Brassia bennettiorum'' (Dodson) Senghas – Peru *'' Brassia bidens'' Lindl. – Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil *''

Brassia bowmanni ''Brassia'' is a genus of orchids classified in the subtribe Oncidiinae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into Florida. The genus was named after ...

'' (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase – Colombia *'' Brassia brachypus'' Rchb.f. – Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia *'' Brassia brevis'' (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase – Colombia, Ecuador *'' Brassia brunnea'' Archila – Guatemala *'' Brassia caudata'' (L.) Lindl. – Mexico, Central America, Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, northern South America *'' Brassia cauliformis'' C.Schweinf. – Peru *'' Brassia chloroleuca'' Barb.Rodr. – Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil *'' Brassia chlorops'' Endrés & Rchb.f. – Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama *''

Brassia cochlearis ''Brassia'' is a genus of orchids classified in the subtribe Oncidiinae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into Florida. The genus was named after ...

'' (H.R.Sweet) M.W.Chase *'' Brassia cochleata'' Knowles & Westc. – northern South America *'' Brassia cyrtopetala'' Schltr. – Colombia *'' Brassia diphylla'' (H.R.Sweet) M.W.Chase – Colombia *'' Brassia dresslerorum'' Archila – Guatemala *'' Brassia ecuadorensis'' (Garay) M.W.Chase – Ecuador *'' Brassia endresii'' (Kraenzl.) ined. – Central America *'' Brassia escobariana'' Garay – Colombia *'' Brassia euodes'' Rchb.f. – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia farinifera'' Linden & Rchb.f. – Ecuador *'' Brassia filomenoi'' Schltr. – Peru *'' Brassia forgetiana'' Sander – Peru, Brazil, Venezuela *'' Brassia garayana'' M.W.Chase – Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia gireoudiana'' Rchb.f. & Warsz. – Costa Rica, Panama *'' Brassia glumacea'' Lindl. – Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia glumaceoides'' M.W.Chase – Colombia, Venezuela *'' Brassia horichii'' (I.Bock) M.W.Chase – Costa Rica, Panama *'' Brassia huebneri'' Schltr. – French Guiana, Brazil *'' Brassia iguapoana'' Schltr. – Brazil (Amazonas) *'' Brassia incantans'' (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia jipijapensis'' Dodson & N.H.Williams – Ecuador (Manabí) *'' Brassia keiliana'' Rchb.f. ex Lindl. – Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana *'' Brassia koehlerorum'' Schltr. – Peru *'' Brassia lanceana'' Lindl. – Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, northern South America *''

Brassia lehmannii ''Brassia'' is a genus of orchids classified in the subtribe Oncidiinae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into Florida. The genus was named after ...

'' (Garay) M.W.Chase *'' Brassia macrostachya'' Lindl. – Venezuela, Guyana *''

Brassia maculata ''Brassia maculata'', the spotted brassia, is a species of orchid. It is native to southern Mexico (Chiapas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Campeche, Quintana Roo), Central America (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua), Cub ...

'' R.Br. – Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Jamaica *'' Brassia mendozae'' (Dodson) Senghas – Ecuador *'' Brassia minutiflora'' (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase – Colombia *'' Brassia neglecta'' Rchb.f. – Guyana, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia ocanensis'' Lindl. – Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia panamensis'' (Garay) M.W.Chase – Panama *'' Brassia pascoensis'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson – Peru *'' Brassia peruviana'' Poepp. & Endl. – Peru *'' Brassia pozoi'' (Dodson & N.H.Williams) Senghas – Ecuador, Peru *'' Brassia pumila'' Lindl. – Guyana, Venezuela, French Guiana, Colombia, Peru, Brazil *''

Brassia revoluta ''Brassia'' is a genus of orchids classified in the subtribe Oncidiinae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into Florida. The genus was named after ...

'' Č.Florián *'' Brassia rhizomatosa'' Garay & Dunst. – Venezuela, Peru *'' Brassia rolandoi'' (D.E.Benn. & Christenson) M.W.Chase – Peru *'' Brassia signata'' Rchb.f. – Peru, Bolivia, Oaxaca, Guerrero *'' Brassia suavissima'' Pupulin & Bogarín – Costa Rica *'' Brassia sulphurea'' (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase – Venezuela *'' Brassia thyrsodes'' Rchb.f. – Bolivia *'' Brassia transamazonica'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson – Peru *'' Brassia verrucosa'' Bateman ex Lindl. – Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Brazil *'' Brassia villosa'' Lindl. – Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil *'' Brassia wageneri'' Rchb.f. – Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Peru *'' Brassia warszewiczii'' Rchb.f. – Ecuador *''

Brassia whewellii ''Brassia'' is a genus of orchids classified in the subtribe Oncidiinae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into Florida. The genus was named after ...

'' J.M.H.Shaw *''

Brassia wyllisiana ''Brassia'' is a genus of orchids classified in the subtribe Oncidiinae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (''B. caudata'') extending into Florida. The genus was named after ...

'' K.G.Lacerda & V.P.Castro

Intergeneric hybrids

* × ''Aliceara'' (''Brassia'' × ''

Miltonia ''Miltonia'', abbreviated Milt. in the horticultural trade, is an orchid genus comprising twelve epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids. The miltonias are exclusively inhabitants of Brazil, except for one species whose range extends from Braz ...

'' × ''Oncidium'') * × ''Bakerara'' (''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'' × ''Odontoglossum'' × ''Oncidium'') * × ''Banfieldara'' (''

Ada Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Odontoglossum'' ) * × ''Brapasia'' (''

Aspasia Aspasia (; ; after 428 BC) was a ''metic'' woman in Classical Athens. Born in Miletus, she moved to Athens and began a relationship with the statesman Pericles, with whom she had a son named Pericles the Younger. According to the traditional h ...

'' × ''Brassia'') * × ''Brassada'' (''Ada'' × ''Brassia'') * × ''Brassidium'' (''Brassia'' × ''Oncidium'') * × ''Brassochilus'' (''Brassia'' × '' Leochilus'') * × ''Bratonia'' (''Brassia'' × ''

'') * × ''Crawshayara'' (''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'' × ''Oncidium'') * × ''Degarmoara'' (''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'' × ''Odontoglossum'' ) * × ''Derosaara'' (''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'' × ''Odontoglossum'' ) * × ''Duggerara'' (''Ada'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'') * × ''Eliara'' (''Brassia'' × ''

Oncidium ''Oncidium'', abbreviated as Onc. in the horticultural trade, is a genus that, , contains about 340 species of orchids from the subtribe Oncidiinae of the orchid family Orchidaceae. It is distributed across tropical and subtropical America from ...

'' × ''

Rodriguezia ''Rodriguezia'', abbreviated Rdza. in the horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids. It consists of 49 known species, native to tropical America from southern Mexico and the Windward Islands south to Argentina, with many of the species endemic t ...

'')page 20 of http://www.cites.org/common/cop/13/E13-P41Annex.pdf * × ''Forgetara'' (''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'') * × ''Johnkellyara'' (''Brassia'' × ''Leochilus'' × ''Oncidium'' × ''Rodriguezia'') * × ''Norwoodara'' (''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'' × ''Oncidium'' × ''Rodriguezia'') * × ''Pettitara'' (''Ada'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Oncidium'') * × ''Rodrassia'' (''Brassia'' × ''Rodriguezia'') * × ''Rohriara'' (''Ada'' × ''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'') * × ''Sauledaara'' (''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Miltonia'' × ''Oncidium'' × ''Rodriguezia'') * × ''Shiveara'' (''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Odontoglossum'' × ''Oncidium'') * × ''Wingfieldara'' (''Aspasia'' × ''Brassia'' × ''Odontoglossum'') This list does not include nothogenera based on genera that are synonyms of ''

'', as for instance ''Cochlioda'' and ''Odontoglossum''. These nothogenera are now synonyms with other nothogenera in this list, or with ''Brassia'' (in the case of ''Brassioda'' = ''Brassia'' × ''Cochlioda'').

Gallery

Image:Brassia caudata .jpg, ''Brassia caudata'' Image:Brassia-girouldiana.jpg, ''Brassia girouldiana'' Image:Brassia lanceana Lindley-02.jpg, ''Brassia lanceana'' Image:Brassia-maculata.jpg, ''Brassia maculata'' File:A and B Larsen orchids - Brassia maculata x longissima 664-0z.jpg, ''Brassia'' Rattler = ''B. maculata'' × ''B. arcuigera'' (syn. ''B. longissima'')

References

External links

* * Pupulin, F. and Bogarin, D.: The genus Brassia in Costa Rica : A survey of four species and a new species ; Lindleyana, March 2005 - - On lin

April 2013 - - On lin

* Dressler, R.L., and N.H. Williams. 2003. ''New combinations in Mesoamerican Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae)''. Selbyana 24(1):44–45. * van der Pijl, L., and C.H. Dodson. 1966. ''Orchid Flowers: Their Pollination and Evolution.'' University of Miami Press, Coral Gables. {{Taxonbar, from=Q133793 Brassia, Oncidiinae genera Epiphytic orchids Orchids of Florida Orchids of Mexico Orchids of South America Orchids of Central America Flora of the Caribbean