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 ...
of
orchids
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 Earth ...
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 ...
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 ...
.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families /ref> The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for Dr. Francisco Sobral, a Spanish
botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
. The genus is abbreviated Sob in trade journals.
Their reed-like stems range in height from about 1 ft (33 cm) (such as in ''Sobralia galeottiana'') to 44 ft. (13.4 m) (in ''Sobralia altissima''). They have typically heavily veined, bilobed, plicate, apical
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the 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 leaves, stem, ...
all along the stem. The
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 on the apex of the stem carry one or two successive ephemeral
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 with large
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. The short duration of the flower is caused by a self-digesting
enzyme
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
. 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 entire or lobed and clasps the
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 ...
at its base. This columns carries eight soft
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 ...
. These flowers range in color from pure white to yellow, green, pink, purple, red, brown, and even a blue violet.
Taxonomy
The following species are recognized:
* ''
Sobralia aerata
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' (C.K.Allen & L.O.Williams) Garay
* ''
Sobralia allenii
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' L.O.Williams
* ''
Sobralia altissima
''Sobralia altissima'' (Common name ''Inquil'') is a species of orchid endemic to Huancavelica Department, Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colomb ...
'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson
* ''
Sobralia amabilis
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' (Rchb.f.) L.O.Williams
* ''
Sobralia anceps
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' Schltr.
* ''
Sobralia andreae
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' Dressler
* ''
Sobralia antioquiensis
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' Schltr.
* ''
Sobralia aspera
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' Dressler & Pupulin
* ''
Sobralia atropubescens
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' Ames & C.Schweinf.
* ''
Sobralia augusta
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia bimaculata
''Sobralia bimaculata'' is a species of ''Sobralia
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea l ...
Sobralia caloglossa
''Sobralia'' is a genus of Orchidaceae, orchids native to Mexico, Central America, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing Epiphyte, epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8, ...
Sobralia chrysostoma
''Sobralia chrysostoma'' is a species of ''Sobralia''. Distribution
Plants are found growing in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama at elevations of 20 to 1050 meters. Taxonomy
This species was first collected in July 16, 199 by Robert Dressler fro ...
Sobralia decora
''Sobralia decora'', commonly known as the beautiful sobralia, is a species of orchid. It is pink-lavender and is found from Mexico through Central America. It is kept by orchid fanciers.
Note on species name and synonyms
There has been a lot ...
Sobralia dichotoma
''Sobralia dichotoma'', is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Orchidaceae''. It is native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central So ...
'' Ruiz & Pav.
* ''
Sobralia dissimilis
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia gentryi
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia luerorum
''Sobralia luerorum'' is a species of '' Sobralia''. Distribution
Plants are found growing epiphytic or terrestrially in Azuay, Napo, Tungurahua
Tungurahua (; from Quichua ''tunguri'' (throat) and ''rahua'' (fire), "Throat of Fire")) is a ...
Sobralia macdougallii
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia macrantha
''Sobralia macrantha'', commonly known as the large-flowered sobralia, is a species of orchid found from north-central and southern Mexico to Central America.
Subspecies
Accepted subspecies:
References
External links
*
*
Sobralia ...
Sobralia mucronata
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia paludosa
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
'' Linden
* ''
Sobralia paradisiaca
''Sobralia'' is a genus of Orchidaceae, orchids native to Mexico, Central America, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing Epiphyte, epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8, ...
Sobralia pulcherrima
''Sobralia pulcherrima'' is a species of ''Sobralia
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea ...
Sobralia tricolor
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia withneri
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia × intermedia
''Sobralia'' is a genus of orchids native to Mexico, Central and South America. The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also found growing epiphytically, in wet forests from sea level to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for D ...
Sobralia decora
''Sobralia decora'', commonly known as the beautiful sobralia, is a species of orchid. It is pink-lavender and is found from Mexico through Central America. It is kept by orchid fanciers.
Note on species name and synonyms
There has been a lot ...
''
Image: Sobralia dichotoma (1).jpg, ''
Sobralia dichotoma
''Sobralia dichotoma'', is a species of flowering plant in the family ''Orchidaceae''. It is native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central So ...
Sobralia macrantha
''Sobralia macrantha'', commonly known as the large-flowered sobralia, is a species of orchid found from north-central and southern Mexico to Central America.
Subspecies
Accepted subspecies:
References
External links
*
*
Sobralia ...