''Catasetum'', abbreviated as Ctsm. in horticultural trade, is a

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 n ...

of showy

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a 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 epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

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 flowering ...

s, family Orchidaceae, 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 epiphyt ...

, tribe Cymbidieae, subtribe Catasetinae, with 166 species, many of which are highly prized in horticulture. Species of the genus ''Catasetum'' occur from

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

, including much of

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. ...

, the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. The largest number of species is in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Biology

They have thick, cigar-shaped

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 a ...

s which are clustered. The leaves are pleated in the upper part and deciduous. The pseudobulbs become spiny after the leaves have dropped. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

is borne on the basis. It consists of very fleshy

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 mechanism ...

s that are unisexual, which is exceptional for orchids. The colorful male and yellowish-green female flowers are typically situated on different plants, a phenomenon known as

dioecy Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

. Which type of flower a plant produces is determined by the conditions under which it grows. Male and female flowers are markedly different in size and color. At first, taxonomists even thought they were dealing with different species, a puzzle which

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

resolved when writing '' Fertilisation of Orchids''. There are rare cases in which a single plant in intermediate conditions will produce both male and female flowers. Catasetum deltoideum - fl 1

The male flowers have a remarkable technique for the ejection of the

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 mi ...

. Sack-Shaped Catasetum (''

Catasetum saccatum ''Catasetum saccatum'', the sack-shaped catasetum, 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. Alo ...

''), a tropical South American species, discussed by Darwin, actually launches its viscid pollen sacs with explosive force, when an insect touches a

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. T ...

. He was ridiculed for reporting this by the naturalist

Thomas Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stor ...

. In habitat, these plants predominantly grow as epiphytes in very wet forests. Species of this genus all host wood-devouring mycorrhizal fungi which supplement the plants' nutrition by breaking down decomposing wood. Most of these species have a prolonged saprophytic stage in decomposing wood as seedlings before developing leaves and photosynthesis. Fungi which break down wood require a

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seve ...

source since wood is primarily composed solely of hemi-cellulose, cellulose, and lignin and lacks nitrogen, and these plants are heavy feeders with high nitrogen requirements typically. Many of these species are known to germinate in ant nests high in the canopy and host ant colonies, which provide the plants with an abundant supply of nitrogen, and they also host ants in cultivation frequently.The Orchids, Natural History and Classification, Robert L. Dressler. Most of these species are considered moderately difficult to maintain in cultivation without a greenhouse or

Wardian case The Wardian case was an early type of terrarium, a sealed protective container for plants. It found great use in the 19th century in protecting foreign plants imported to Europe from overseas, the great majority of which had previously died from ...

and some of them defy cultivation. Most of them cannot tolerate dryness and some of them have very specific temperature requirements. Some of these species are ant plants and attract ant colonies and can become a nuisance in cultivation. Catasetum pileatum Orchi 088

Catasetum macrocarpum female - Flickr 006

A and B Larsen orchids - Catasetum tenebrosum 1006-20

A and B Larsen orchids - Catasetum tenebrosum female Dscn3259

Species

*''Catasetum aculeatum'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum adremedium'' (Peru) *''Catasetum alatum'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum albovirens'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum albuquerquei'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum arachnoideum'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum arietinum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum aripuanense'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum ariquemense'' (Brazil) *''

Catasetum atratum ''Catasetum atratum'', the lustrous black catasetum, is a species of orchid found in Brazil. References External links atratum Orchids of Brazil {{Cymbidieae-stub ...

'' : lustrous black catasetum (Brazil). *'' Catasetum barbatum'' : bearded catasetum (Trinidad to S. Trop. America). *''Catasetum bergoldianum'' (Venezuela). *''Catasetum bicallosum'' (S. Venezuela). *''Catasetum bicolor'' : two-colored catasetum (Colombia to S. Venezuela) *''Catasetum bifidum'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum blackii'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum blepharochilum'' (Colombia). *''Catasetum boyi'' (Brazil ). *''Catasetum brichtae'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum cabrutae'' (Venezuela). *''

Catasetum callosum ''Catasetum callosum'', the callused catasetum, 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 ...

'' : callused catasetum (S. Trop. America). *''Catasetum carolinianum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum carrenhianum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum carunculatum'' (Peru). *''Catasetum cassideum'' (SE. Venezuela to N. Brazil). *''Catasetum caucanum'' (Colombia). *''Catasetum caxarariense'' (Brazil). *''

Catasetum cernuum ''Catasetum cernuum'', the nodding catasetum, 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 wi ...

'' : nodding catasetum (Trinidad to Brazil). *''Catasetum charlesworthii'' (Venezuela). *''Catasetum cirrhaeoides'' : cirrhaea-like cataseum (Brazil). *''Catasetum cochabambanum'' (Bolivia). *''Catasetum collare'' (Venezuela to Ecuador and N. Brazil). *''Catasetum colossus'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum complanatum'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum confusum'' : confused catasetum (Brazil). *''Catasetum coniforme'' (Peru). *''Catasetum cotylicheilum'' (Peru). *''Catasetum crinitum'' (N. Brazil). *''

Catasetum cristatum ''Catasetum cristatum'', the comb-like catasetum, is a species of orchid found from North South America to North Brazil. References External links

* Catasetum, cristatum Orchids of South America Orchids of Brazil Plants described in 18 ...

'' : comb-like catasetum (N. South America to N. Brazil). *''Catasetum cucullatum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum decipiens'' (Venezuela). *''

Catasetum deltoideum ''Catasetum deltoideum'', the triangular catasetum, is a species of orchid found from Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil. Description This medium-sized orchid is epiphytic in forest at higher elevations. It has oblong-fusiform stems ...

'' : triangular catasetum (Guianas). *''Catasetum denticulatum'' : small-toothed catasetum (Brazil). *'' Catasetum discolor'' : differently colored catasetum (S. Trop. America). *''Catasetum dupliciscutula'' (Bolivia). *''

Catasetum expansum ''Catasetum expansum'', the expansive catasetum, is a species of orchid found in Ecuador. References External links * * expansum Orchids of Ecuador Plants described in 1878 {{Cymbidieae-stub ...

'' : expansive catasetum (Ecuador). *''Catasetum fernandezii'' (Peru). *''Catasetum ferox'' (S. Venezuela to Brazil). *''

Catasetum fimbriatum ''Catasetum fimbriatum'', the fringed catasetum, is a member of the orchid family of flowering plants and lives in a warm tropical environment. This plant uses a fascinating strategy to spread its pollen to other flowers via insects, primarily be ...

'' : fringed catasetum (S. Trop. America). *''Catasetum finetianum'' (Colombia). *''Catasetum franchinianum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum fuchsii'' (Bolivia). *''Catasetum galeatum'' (Brazil). *'' Catasetum galeritum'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum georgii'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum gladiatorium'' (Brazil) *''

Catasetum globiflorum ''Catasetum globiflorum'', the spheroid-flowered catasetum, is a species of orchid found in Brazil. References External links globiflorum Orchids of Brazil {{Cymbidieae-stub ...

'' : spheroid-flowered catasetum (Brazil) *''Catasetum gnomus'' : gnome-like catasetum (S. Venezuela to N. Brazil) *''Catasetum gomezii'' (Venezuela). *''Catasetum hillsii'' (Peru. *''Catasetum hoehnei'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum hookeri'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum incurvum'' : bent catasetum (Ecuador to Peru). *'' Catasetum integerrimum'' : intact catasetum (Mexico to C. America). *''Catasetum interhomesianum'' (Bolivia). *''Catasetum japurense'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum jarae'' : Jara's catasetum (Peru). *''Catasetum juruenense'' : ''Rio Jurua catasetum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum justinianum'' (Bolivia). *''Catasetum kempfii'' (Bolivia). *''Catasetum kleberianum'' : Kleber's catasetum (Brazil) *''Catasetum kraenzlinianum'' (N. Brazil). *''

Catasetum laminatum ''Catasetum'', abbreviated as Ctsm. in horticultural trade, is a genus of showy epiphytic Orchids, family Orchidaceae, subfamily Epidendroideae, tribe Cymbidieae, subtribe Catasetinae, with 166 species, many of which are highly prized in horticu ...

'' : scaled catasetum (C. & SW. Mexico). *''Catasetum lanceatum'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum lanxiforme'' (Peru). *''Catasetum lehmannii'' (Colombia) *''

Catasetum lemosii ''Catasetum lemosii'' 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 ...

'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum lindleyanum'' (Colombia). *''Catasetum linguiferum'' (N. Brazil). *''

Catasetum longifolium ''Catasetum longifolium'' 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, t ...

'' (N. South America to N. Brazil). *''Catasetum longipes'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum lucis'' (Colombia). *''

Catasetum luridum ''Catasetum luridum'', the pale-yellow catasetum, is a species of orchid. It is native to South America, where it is distributed from Guyana to Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is ...

'' : pale-yellow catasetum (Guyana to E. Brazil). *''

Catasetum macrocarpum ''Catasetum macrocarpum'', the large-fruited catasetum, is a species of orchid. It is also known as the monkey goblet and monk's head orchid. It is native to the Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayi ...

'' : monkey goblet, monkshead monk's head orchid, large-fruited catasetum (Trinidad and Tobago to N. Argentina). *''Catasetum macroglossum'' : large-lipped catasetum (Ecuador. *'' Catasetum maculatum'' : spotted catasetum (C. America to Venezuela). *''Catasetum maranhense'' (NE. Brazil). *''Catasetum maroaense'' (Venezuela). *''Catasetum matogrossense'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum meeae'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum mentosum'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum merchae'' (Venezuela). *''Catasetum micranthum'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum microglossum'' (Ecuador to Peru). *''Catasetum mojuense'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum monodon'' (Brazil *''Catasetum monzonense'' (Peru). *''Catasetum moorei'' : Moore's catasetum (Peru). *''Catasetum multifidum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum multifissum'' (Peru). *''Catasetum nanayanum'' (Peru). *''Catasetum napoense'' (Ecuador to Peru). *''

Catasetum naso ''Catasetum naso'', the nose catasetum, 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 ...

'' : nose catasetum (Colombia to Venezuela). *''Catasetum ochraceum'' : ochre-yellow catasetum (Colombia). *''Catasetum ollare'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum ornithoides'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum osakadianum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum osculatum'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum palmeirinhense'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum parguazense'' : Paraguaza River catasetum (Venezuela). *''Catasetum pendulum'' : pendant catasetum (W. Mexico). *''Catasetum peruvianum'' (Peru). *''

Catasetum pileatum ''Catasetum pileatum'', the felt-capped catasetum or mother of pearl flower, 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 co ...

'' : mother of pearl flower, felt-capped catasetum (Trinidad to Ecuador). *''

Catasetum planiceps ''Catasetum planiceps'' 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, the ...

'' (N. South America to Brazil). *''Catasetum platyglossum'' (Colombia). *''Catasetum pleidactylon'' (Peru). *''Catasetum poriferum'' (Guyana). *''Catasetum pulchrum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum punctatum'' (Brazil). *''

Catasetum purum ''Catasetum purum'', the one-colored catasetum, is a species of orchid found in Brazil. References External links * purum The Purums are an indigenous tribe of Manipur. They are (or were) notable because their marriage system is the su ...

'' : one-colored catasetum (Brazil) *''Catasetum purusense'' (Peru.) *''Catasetum pusillum'' (Peru) *''

Catasetum randii ''Catasetum randii'' is a species of orchid found in Brazil. References External links * randii Orchids of Brazil Plants described in 1894 {{Cymbidieae-stub ...

'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum regnellii'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum reichenbachianum'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum richteri'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum ricii'' (Bolivia). *''Catasetum rigidum'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum rivularium'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum rohrii'' (S. Brazil). *''Catasetum rolfeanum'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum rondonense'' (Brazil) *''Catasetum rooseveltianum'' : Roosevelt's catasetum (Brazil) *''

'' : sack-shaped catasetum (Trop. S. America). *''Catasetum samaniegoi'' (Ecuador). *''Catasetum sanguineum'' : red catasetum (Colombia to Venezuela). *''Catasetum schmidtianum'' : Schmidt's catasetum (Brazil). *''Catasetum schunkei'' (Peru). *''Catasetum schweinfurthii'' (Peru. *''Catasetum seccoi'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum semicirculatum'' (Brazil). *''

Catasetum socco ''Catasetum socco'' 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 ...

'' ((SE. Brazil). *''Catasetum spitzii'' : Spitz's catasetum (Brazil). *''Catasetum splendens'' (Venezuela to N. Brazil). *''Catasetum stenoglossum'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum stevensonii'' (Ecuador to Peru). *''Catasetum tabulare'' : table-like catasetum (Colombia). *''Catasetum taguariense'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum taquariense'' (WC. Brazil). *''Catasetum tenebrosum'' : dark-brown catasetum (Ecuador to Peru). *''Catasetum tenuiglossum'' (Peru). *''Catasetum thompsonii'' (Guyana). *''Catasetum tigrinum'' : tiger-striped catasetum (Brazil). *''Catasetum transversicallosum'' (Peru). *''Catasetum trautmannii'' (Peru). *''Catasetum tricolor'' (Guatemala). *''Catasetum tricorne'' (Colombia). *''Catasetum triodon'' (S. Brazil). *''Catasetum tuberculatum'' (Colombia to Peru). *''Catasetum tucuruiense'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum uncatum'' (Brazil) . *''Catasetum variabile'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum vinaceum'' (WC. Brazil). *''

Catasetum viridiflavum ''Catasetum viridiflavum'', the green-yellow catasetum, 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. ...

'' : green-yellow catasetum (C. America). *''Catasetum yavitaense'' (Venezuela). A and B Larsen orchids - Catasetum saccatum 515-22

Natural hybrids

*''Catasetum × dunstervillei'' ( = C. discolor × C. pileatum) (Venezuela). *''Catasetum × guianense'' (= C. longifolium × C. macrocarpum) (Guianas). *''Catasetum × intermedium'' (Brazil). *''Catasetum × issanensis''(= C. longifolium × C. pileatum) (Brazil). *''Catasetum × pohlianum''(= C. hookeri × C. trulla) (Brazil) *''Catasetum × roseoalbum'' (Guianas). *''Catasetum × sodiroi'' (= C. expansum × C.macroglossum) (Ecuador). *''Catasetum × tapiriceps'' (N. Brazil). *''Catasetum × violascens'' : Purple Catasetum (W. South America). *''Catasetum × wendlingeri'' (Venezuela to Guyana).

References

External links

Botanical Garden Munich: One of the most extensive photo collections of Catasetum.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133751 Catasetinae genera Dioecious plants

Biology

Species

Natural hybrids

References

Further reading

External links