''Govenia'' 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 flowering plants belonging to the orchid family

Orchidaceae 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 ...

. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horticultural Society of London. The species in this genus are

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. 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 or near the ground, as opposed to ...

or sometimes

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 ...

, and native to

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 ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

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

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

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> This genus has

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ( perennation). The word ...

ous, egg-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 and thin,

plicate Plicata, ''plicate'', ''plicated'', ''pleated'' or ''folded'' in Latin, may refer to: * Lingua plicata, a benign condition characterized by deep grooves in the dorsum of the tongue * Pars plicata The pars plicata (also known as corona ciliaris ) ...

leaves that are always paired. According to the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

, ''Gov.'' is the official abbreviation for this genus.

Species

The following species are recognized as of June 2014: # ''

Govenia alba ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' A. Rich. & Galeotti 1845 # ''

Govenia bella ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' E.W. Greenw. 1987 (Oaxaca, Mexico) # ''

Govenia ciliilabia ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' Ames & C. Schweinf. 1930 (Costa Rica; El Salvador; Panama) # '' Govenia dressleriana'' E.W. Greenw. 1993 (El Salvador; Guatemala; Mexico) # '' Govenia elliptica'' S. Watson 1891 (Mexico) # ''

Govenia fasciata ''Govenia fasciata'' is a species of orchid endemic to Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, con ...

'' Lindl. 1843 (Venezuela) # ''

Govenia floridana ''Govenia floridana'', the Florida govenia, is an extinct species of orchid that was endemic to Everglades National Park in Florida. It was discovered for the first time in 1957, with a total populations of 25 individuals, and the last verified r ...

'' P.M. Br. 2000 (Florida; extinct) # '' Govenia greenwoodii'' Dressler & Soto Arenas 2003 (Honduras) # '' Govenia jouyana'' R. González 1983 # '' Govenia lagenophora'' Lindl. 1839 (El Salvador; Guatemala; Mexico) # '' Govenia latifolia'' (Kunth) Garay & G.A.Romero 1999 # '' Govenia liliacea'' (Lex.) Lindl. 1835 (Mexico; Central America) # '' Govenia matudae'' E.W.Greenw. & Soto Arenas 2002 # '' Govenia praecox'' Salazar & E.W. Greenw. 1993 (Veracruz, Mexico) # '' Govenia purpusii'' Schltr. 1918 # '' Govenia quadriplicata'' Rchb. f. 1866 # ''

Govenia rubellilabia ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' García-Cruz 2006 # ''

Govenia sodiroi ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' Schltr. 1921 (Ecuador) # ''

Govenia superba ''Govenia superba'' is a species of orchid. Its natural range runs from central Mexico south to Honduras. References

Govenia, superba Orchids of Mexico Plants described in 1825 Orchids of Central America {{Epidendreae-stub ...

'' (La Llave & Lex.) Lindl. ex Lodd. 1831 : El Salvador; Guatemala; Mexico) # '' Govenia tequilana'' Dressler & Hágsater 1973 (Mexico) # ''

Govenia tingens ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' Poepp. & Endl. 1837-1838 (Ecuador; Peru) # ''

Govenia utriculata ''Govenia utriculata'' is a species of orchid. It is widespread across much of Latin America and the West Indies, from Mexico and Puerto Rico south to Argentina.Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West In ...

'' (Sw.) Lindl. 1839 (Bolivia; Ecuador; Argentina) # ''

Govenia viaria ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' Dressler 2002 # ''

Govenia vilcabambana ''Govenia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the orchid family Orchidaceae. The type species, ''Govenia superba'', was transferred from ''Maxillaria superba'' and a genus name was given to commemorate J.R. Gowen, secretary of the Horti ...

'' Dodson 1994 (Ecuador)

References

* (1853) The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants 153. * (2006). Epidendroideae (Part One). Genera Orchidacearum 4: 103 ff. Oxford University Press.

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1890526 Calypsoinae genera