''Trichocentrum'', often abbreviated Trctm in

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

, 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 ...

in 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 ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

, Orchidaceae. Dancinglady orchid is a common name for plants in this genus. It was described by

Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804 – 28 March 1849), was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. Biography Endlicher ...

and Eduard Friedrich Poeppig in 1836. This genus alone makes up the monogeneric Trichocentrum alliance, a quite distinct lineage of the

subtribe Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants). The first use of this word dates back to the late 19th century. An example of ...

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 ...

. The 68 currently recognized species are

epiphyte 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 ...

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), ...

, distributed in damp forests from

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 ...

and

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 ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Description

The

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 are reduced. The obtuse, fleshy

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, ...

are 9 cm long. They are broadly elliptic to ovate-lanceolate. The large, showy

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 grow basally on a short peduncle in a single-flowered to few-flowered

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

. They are white, or white covered with maroon dots. 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 and

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 are similar. The long

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 ...

carries a short

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

. This feature distinguishes the genus from other

, in which the spur is an extension of 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 ...

. The short column has a pair of apical wings on the stigma. The

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

often bears minute

papilla Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Papilla (worms), small bumps on the surface of certain worms * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * ...

e. There are two waxy

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 ...

, connected to elongate stipes.

In horticulture

''Trichocentrum'' species are highly appreciated by orchid growers; some consider them to be among the most beautiful orchids on earth. Culture of members of this genus is highly variable, ranging from the drought-tolerant and easy-to-grow Tiger-like Trichocentrum ('' T. tigrinum'') to smaller and more delicate species. In cultivation they are subject to rot unless provided with conditions similar to those they experience in the wild. Extensive research into the ecological profiles of individual species may be required to achieve success cultivating them. Many species from Central America apparently endure a prolonged drought for at least part of the year, and have developed

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

leaves to deal with these conditions. Plants may shrivel quite severely without long-lasting injury.

Chemistry and use as entheogen

The Central and South American species '' Trichocentrum cebolleta'' (known formerly as ''Oncidium cebolleta'') has been found to contain a variety of

phenanthrenoids Phenanthrenoids are chemical compounds formed with a phenanthrene backbone. These compounds occur naturally in plants, although they can also be synthesized. Phenanthrols Phenanthrols are any of five isomeric phenols derived from phenanthrene ( ...

. This species is of considerable ethnobotanical interest as one of only a handful of orchids reported to be used as an

entheogen Entheogens are psychoactive substances used in spiritual and religious contexts to induce altered states of consciousness. Hallucinogens such as the psilocybin found in so-called "magic" mushrooms have been used in sacred contexts since ancie ...

s. ''T. cebolleta'' is used as a substitute for ''hikuli'' a.k.a. ''peyote'' (the

hallucinogenic Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, moo ...

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

Lophophora williamsii The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains Psychoactive cactus, psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar Pupa#Cocoon, cocoon" ...

'') by the Tarahumara of Northern

- a tribe noted for the large number of hallucinogenic plants which it uses in various

shamanic Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spiri ...

and

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

-related practices. The combination of phenanthrenoid content and employment as entheogens in shamanic practices is to be found also in the Asiatic orchids ''

Vanda tessellata ''Vanda tessellata'' (also known as Grey orchid or Checkered Vanda) is a species of orchid occurring from the Indian subcontinent to Indochina. It is a medicinal plant. Description It is an epiphytic perennial, stem 30–60 cm long, stout ...

'' and '' Dendrobium macraei'' (- known formerly as ''Ephemerantha macraei'' and ''Flickingeria macraei'' - see page '' Flickingeria''). The orchidaceous genera ''Trichocentrum'', ''

Vanda ''Vanda'', abbreviated in the horticultural trade as ''V.,'' is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are 90 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among the ...

'' and ''

Dendrobium ''Dendrobium'' is a genus of mostly Epiphyte, epiphytic and Lithophyte, lithophytic orchids in the Family (biology), family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout m ...

'' are all members of the 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 epiphytes ...

'' and are also placed currently in the subgroup/clade of Higher Epidendroids within the subfamily. Stermitz et al., however, do not report any evidence or suggest that the phenanthrenoids from ''Trichocentrum'' possess psychoactive properties.

Systematics

There is disagreement as to the

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

status of some species that have recently been moved from ''

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 ...

'' to ''Trichocentrum''. Morphological characteristics of "typical" trichocentrums, such as being relatively small and squat with a short, few-to-several flowered inflorescence, contrasts sharply with the larger, heavier oncidiums with long, "mule-ear" leaves and showy, branched inflorescences with many flowers, or the "rat-tail" species with

terete Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section (geometry), cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and S ...

leaves. While studies of

molecular phylogeny Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

has caused substantial reclassifications,Williams et al. (2001) it is uncertain whether this new scheme will be widely adopted. As with many plants, hybridisation might heavily confound

cladistic Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

analyses, though the exact extent is unknown. Hybridisation of ''Trichocentrum'' with ''Oncidium'' has resulted in the hybrid genus × ''Trichocidium'' for example, and similar events in the past would result in unrealistic assessments of relationship based on molecular phylogenetic studies with too limited a scope.

Species

A and B Larsen orchids - Trichocentrum tigrinum 152-22

# '' Trichocentrum aguirrei'' (Colombia) # '' Trichocentrum albococcineum'' – White-scarlet Trichocentrum (N Brazil to Peru) # '' Trichocentrum ascendens'' (Mexico to W South America) # '' Trichocentrum aurisasinorum'' (Central America) # '' Trichocentrum bicallosum'' (Oaxaca, Chiapas to Central America) # '' Trichocentrum brachyceras'' (Colombia) # '' Trichocentrum brevicalcaratum'' (Peru) # '' Trichocentrum caloceras'' (Costa Rica) # '' Trichocentrum candidum'' – White Trichocentrum (Veracruz to Chiapas to Central America) # '' Trichocentrum capistratum'' – Halter Trichocentrum (Costa Rica to Venezuela) # '' Trichocentrum carthagenense'' (Caribbean, Mexico to N Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum cavendishianum'' (Mexico to Central America) # '' Trichocentrum cebolleta'' (S Caribbean, Mexico to NE Argentina) # '' Trichocentrum costaricense'' (Costa Rica) # '' Trichocentrum cymbiglossum'' (Costa Rica) # '' Trichocentrum dianthum'' Pupulin & Mora-Retana (Costa Rica) # '' Trichocentrum estrellense'' (Costa Rica) # '' Trichocentrum flavovirens'' (SW Mexico) # '' Trichocentrum fuscum'' – Dark Trichocentrum (S Tropical America) # '' Trichocentrum haematochilum'' (Trinidad) # '' Trichocentrum hartii'' (Venezuela) # '' Trichocentrum hoegei'' (Mexico: Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca) # '' Trichocentrum ionopthalmum'' (N Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum johnii'' (Mexico) # '' Trichocentrum jonesianum'' (Bolivia and Brazil to NE Argentina) # '' Trichocentrum lacerum'' (C. America to Colombia) # '' Trichocentrum lanceanum'' (Trinidad to S Tropical America) # '' Trichocentrum leeanum'' (Colombia) # '' Trichocentrum lindenii'' (Mexico to Guatemala) # '' Trichocentrum longicalcaratum'' Rolfe # '' Trichocentrum lowii'' (Guatemala) # '' Trichocentrum luridum'' (Mexico to N South America) # '' Trichocentrum margalegfii'' (SW Mexico) # '' Trichocentrum × marvraganii'' (''T. jonesianum × T. straceyi'') (Bolivia) # '' Trichocentrum mattogrossense'' (Brazil: Mato Grosso) # '' Trichocentrum microchilum'' (Mexico: Chiapas to El Salvador) # '' Trichocentrum morenoi'' (Peru to Bolivia) # '' Trichocentrum nanum'' (S Tropical America) # '' Trichocentrum neudeckeri'' (Bolivia) # '' Trichocentrum nudum'' (Panama to Venezuela) # '' Trichocentrum obcordilabium'' (Ecuador) # '' Trichocentrum oestlundianum'' (SW Mexico) # '' Trichocentrum orthoplectron'' (Colombia to N Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum ostenianum'' (Paraguay) # '' Trichocentrum panduratum'' (N Peru) # '' Trichocentrum pfavii'' : Pfau's Trichocentrum (Central America) # '' Trichocentrum pinelii'' (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro) # '' Trichocentrum pohlianum'' (SE Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum pongratzianum'' (Peru) # '' Trichocentrum popowianum'' (Ecuador) # '' Trichocentrum porphyrio'' (N Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum pulchrum'' – Long-spurred Trichocentrum, Beautiful Trichocentrum (S Tropical America) # '' Trichocentrum pumilum'' (Brazil to NE Argentina) # '' Trichocentrum purpureum'' (Guyana) # '' Trichocentrum recurvum'' (Guiana, Suriname) # '' Trichocentrum silverarum'' (Panama) # '' Trichocentrum splendidum'' (Guatemala) # '' Trichocentrum sprucei'' (Suriname to Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum stacyi'' (Bolivia) # '' Trichocentrum stipitatum'' (Central America) # '' Trichocentrum stramineum'' (Mexico: Veracruz) # '' Trichocentrum teaguei'' (Bolivia) # '' Trichocentrum tenuiflorum'' (NE Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum teres'' (Costa Rica to Panama) # '' Trichocentrum tigrinum'' – Tiger-like Trichocentrum (Central America to Peru) # '' Trichocentrum undulatum'' (S Florida to N Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum viridulum'' (Colombia) # '' Trichocentrum wagneri'' (Brazil) # '' Trichocentrum wittii'' (Bolivia)

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2603797 Oncidiinae genera Epiphytic orchids