The

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 ...

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 ...

''Dracula'', abbreviated as Drac in horticultural trade, consists of 118

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), ...

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 ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. The name ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'' literally means "little dragon", an allusion to the mythical

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...

, a lead character in numerous

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

novels and films. The name was applied to the orchid because of the blood-red color of several of the species, and the strange aspect of the long spurs of 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. The plants were once included in the genus ''

Masdevallia ''Masdevallia'', abbreviated Masd in horticultural trade, is a large genus of flowering plants of the Pleurothallidinae, a subtribe of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). There are over 500 species, grouped into several subgenera. The genus is na ...

'', but became a separate genus in 1978. This genus has been placed in the subtribe

Pleurothallidinae The Pleurothallidinae are a neotropical subtribe of plants of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) including 29 genera in more than 4000 species. Naturally occurring species of this subtribe are among the more popular orchids of horticulturalists, es ...

Description

They are

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 ...

and

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

species distributed in

and the northwest

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 ...

. Almost half the species are found in

. They prefer shade and rather cool temperatures. These

caespitose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

orchids grow in tufts from a short

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

, with a dense pack of stems. They lack

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. On each stem grows one large, thin, plicate

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, 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 leav ...

with a sharply defined midrib. These glabrous, light to dark green leaves may be spongy, taking over the function of the missing pseudobulb. They are tipped with a mucro (a short tip). The

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 ...

stalks grow either horizontally from the base of the plant or descend, often for great distances. A few species grow upright flower stalks. The long-tailed terminal flowers are basically triangular. The flowers are borne singly or successively. Three species (sodiroi, decussata/neisseniae, and papillosa) may have up to three simultaneously open flowers on a single stalk. In general, though, if there is more than one flower bud on the raceme, they open up with long intervals. These flowers have a weird aspect, due to the long tails on each

. The

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 are small and somewhat thickened. Quite commonly, various species of ''Dracula'' are known for blooms resembling the faces of primates, a notable example being '' Dracula simia''. However, this likeness to monkeys’ faces seems to be purely a natural coincidence to the primates living in the same forests. In fact, these flowers are pollinated by the common

fungus gnat Fungus gnats are small, dark, short-lived gnats, of the families Sciaridae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Bolitophilidae, and Mycetophilidae (order Diptera); they comprise six of the seven families placed in the superfamily Sc ...

; the bloom’s

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 often quite large (for a ''Pleurothallid''), and from the fungus gnat’s perspective, resembles an irresistible mushroom or fungus. Research by biologists at the University of Oregon indicates that ''D. lafleurii'' also possesses a uniquely volatile chemistry, similar to localized species of mushrooms. This mimicry attracts mushroom-associated flies which play a role in pollination. The basal part of the lip (hypochile) is cleft. The terminal part (epichile) is rounded and concave. The margins of the

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower. It is a structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepal ...

are often fringed. There is a well-developed

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 ...

with two

pollinia 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 ...

Taxonomy

The species of ''Dracula'' have tentatively been divided into three subgenera, with sections and subsections within one of the subgenera. *Subgenus ''Dracula'' : This subgenus contains all the species of the genus except two exceptional species (''D. sodiroi'' and ''D. xenos'') **Section '' Andreettaea'' : Monotypic: ''Dracula andreettae'' **Section ''Chestertonia'' : two species: ''Dracula chestertonii'', ''D. cutis-bufonis'' **Section ''Cochliopsia'' : Monotypic: ''Dracula cochliops'' **Section ''Dodsonia'' : Four species: ''Dracula dodsonii'', ''D. insolita'', ''D. iricolor'', ''D. portillae'' **Section ''Dracula'' : largest section ***Subsection ''Costatae'' : e.g. ''Dracula bella'', ''D. vespertilio'' ***Subsection ''Dracula'' : ****Series ''Dracula'' : e.g. ''Dracula chimaera'', ''D. tubeana'', ''D. vampira'' ****Series ''Grandiflorae-Parvilabiatae'' : e.g. ''Dracula gigas'', ''D. platycrater'' ****Series ''Parviflorae'' : e.g. ''Dracula houtteana'', ''D. lotax'' *Subgenus ''Sodiroa'' : Two ''Dracula sodiroi'', ''D. erythrocodon'' *Subgenus ''Xenosia'' : Monotypic : ''Dracula xenos'' ---- *'' Dracula adrianae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula alcithoe'' (SW. Colombia to NE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula amaliae'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula andreettae'' (W. Colombia to NE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula anthracina'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula antonii'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula aphrodes'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula astuta'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula barrowii'' (Peru) *'' Dracula bella'' (WC. Colombia) *'' Dracula bellerophon'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula benedictii'' (WC. Colombia) *'' Dracula berthae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula brangeri'' (C. Colombia) *'' Dracula callithrix'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula carcinopsis'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula carlueri'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula chestertonii'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula chimaera'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula chiroptera'' (SW. Colombia to NE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula christineana'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula circe'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula citrina'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula cochliops'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula cordobae'' (SW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula cutis-bufonis'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula dalessandroi'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula dalstroemii'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula decussata'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula deltoidea'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula deniseana'' (Peru) *'' Dracula diabola'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula diana'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula dodsonii'' (Colombia to NC. Ecuador) *'' Dracula erythrochaete'' (Costa Rica to W. Panama) *'' Dracula erythrocodon'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula exasperata'' ( SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula fafnir'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula felix'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula fuligifera'' (C. Ecuador) *'' Dracula gastrophora'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula gigas'' (W. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula gorgona'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula gorgonella'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula hawleyi'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula hirsuta'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula hirtzii'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula houtteana'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula immunda'' (Panama) *'' Dracula inaequalis'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula incognita'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula inexperata'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula insolita'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula janetiae'' (C. Peru) *'' Dracula kareniae'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula lafleurii'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula lehmanniana'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula lemurella'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula leonum'' (Peru) *'' Dracula levii'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula ligiae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula lindstroemii'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula lotax'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula mantissa'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula marsupialis'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula mendozae'' Luer & V.N.M.Rao (Ecuador) *'' Dracula minax'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula mopsus'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula morleyi'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula navarrorum'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula nigritella'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula nosferatu'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula nycterina'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula octavioi'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula olmosii'' (Panama) Dracula Olmosii Bloom Profile

*'' Dracula ophioceps'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula orientalis'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula ortiziana'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula papillosa'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula pholeodytes'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula pileus'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula platycrater'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula polyphemus'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula portillae'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula posadarum'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula presbys'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula psittacina'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula psyche'' (NW. Ecuador) *''

Dracula pubescens ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a busin ...

'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula pusilla'' (SE. Mexico to C. America) *'' Dracula radiella'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula radiosa'' (E. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula rezekiana'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula ripleyana'' (Costa Rica) *'' Dracula robledorum'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula rojasii'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula roezlii'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula saulii'' (Peru) *'' Dracula schudelii'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula senex-furens''(Colombia) *'' Dracula sergioi'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula severa'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula sibundoyensis'' (SW. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula sijmii'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula simia'' (SE. Ecuador) *'' Dracula sodiroi'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula syndactyla'' (SW. Colombia) *'' Dracula terborchii'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula trichroma'' (W. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula trinympharum'' (NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula tsubotae'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula tubeana'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula ubangina'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula vampira'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula veliziana'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula velutina'' (NW. Colombia) *'' Dracula venefica'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula venosa'' (W. Colombia to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula verticulosa'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula vespertilio'' (Nicaragua to NW. Ecuador) *'' Dracula villegasii'' (Colombia) *'' Dracula vinacea'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula vlad-tepes'' (NE. Colombia) *'' Dracula wallisii'' (W. Colombia) *'' Dracula woolwardiae'' (Ecuador) *'' Dracula xenos'' (Colombia)

Hybrids

*''Dracula × anicula'' (''D. cutis-bufonis'' × ''D. wallisii'') (Colombia). *''Dracula × radiosyndactyla'' (''D. radiosa'' × ''D. syndactyla'') (SW. Colombia).

Footnote

References

*Luer, Carlyle A. 1978: ''Dracula'', a New Genus in the Pleurothallidinae. Selbyana 2: 190-198. *Luer, Carlyle A. 1993: Icones Pleurothallidinarum X - Systematics of ''Dracula''. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 46.
Arkive : Dracula vampira

External links

*
''Dracula'' Species Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133719 Epiphytic orchids Pleurothallidinae genera Orchids of Mexico Orchids of Central America Orchids of Colombia Orchids of Ecuador Orchids of Peru Garden plants of Central America Garden plants of South America