''Aganisia'' is a small South American genus in 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 ...

), 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 ...

. The genus was named after the Greek word ‘agnos’ (gratitude), perhaps referring to the sweet scent of its flowers. These dwarf,

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 ...

climbing orchids occur in mountainous or savanna forests and alongside rivers in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

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 ...

, Colombia,

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, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

, Guyana,

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Aganisia produce

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 small

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 produced from a creeping rhizome. These flowers generally reach 4 cm in width. Their color varies from a rose-tinted violet to a blue-tinted violet. The flower has a short

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 ...

foot and an elongate stipe.Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil . Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro They are rarely cultivated.

Species

Four species are currently recognized (May 2014): * '' Aganisia cyanea'' (Lindl.) Rchb.f. - Blue orchid -

, Colombia,

* '' Aganisia fimbriata'' Rchb.f. -

, Colombia,

, Guyana,

* '' Aganisia pulchella'' Lindl. -

, Guyana,

* '' Aganisia rosariana'' (V.P.Castro & J.B.F.Silva) F.Barros & L.R.S.Guim. -

(

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso ...

)

Intergeneric Hybrids

* x''Downsara''. = ''Aganisia'' x ''Batemannia'' x ''Otostylis'' x ''Zygosepalum'' * x''Hamelwellsara'' = ''Aganisia'' x ''Batemanniana''x ''Otostylis'' x ''Zygopetalum'' x ''Zygosepalum'' * x''Mauriceara'' = ''Aganisia'' x ''Batemanniana'' x ''Pabstia'' x ''Promenaea'' x ''Otostylis'' x ''Zygopetalum'' x ''Zygosepalum'' * x''Otonisia'' = ''Aganisia'' x ''Otostylis'' * x''Zygonisia '' = ''Aganisia'' x ''Zygopetalum''

References

External links

Acacallis cyanea - Orchid, Acacallis cyanea is one of the most beautiful of the ZygopetalinaeRoyal Horticultural Society: Registration of OrchidsMissouri Botanical Garden
{{Taxonbar, from=Q20954 Zygopetalinae genera Epiphytic orchids Flora of South America Flora of Trinidad and Tobago