''Aerangis'', abbreviated as Aergs in horticultural trade, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of 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. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

family (Orchidaceae). The name of this genus has been derived from the Greek words 'aer' (air) and 'angos' (urn), referring to the form of the lip. It is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...

of the subtribe Aerangidinae, which has recently been subsumed in the subtribe Angraecinae. Approximately 50 species in this genus are known mostly from tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, but also from the

Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands or Comoros ( Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northw ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Species are usually

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 ...

, sometimes

lithophytic Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...

small orchids, resembling ''

Vanda ''Vanda'', abbreviated in the horticultural trade as ''V.,'' is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are about 87 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among ...

''s in appearance. Their large, waxy, star-shaped flowers are generally white, cream-colored or yellow. They show a long, nectar-filled spur, often longer than the flower itself. There is a single stem with many flowers on a long raceme. The

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

is flat and resembles the

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s. They give off an agreeable smell during the night. There are six to ten parallel-veined, fleshy, evergreen leaves. These orchids are not often found in collections, even though they are rather easy to grow. Around 15 species are commonly available. Also ''Aerangis descendants from intergeneric

hybridization Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

have been registered: * '' ×Aerangaeris'' (''Aerangis'' × ''

Rangaeris ''Rangaeris'' is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae, naive to sub-Saharan Africa. Species Species accepted as of June 2014: # '' Rangaeris amaniensis'' (Kraenzl.) Summerh., 1949 - Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ugan ...

'') * '' ×Amesangis'' (''Aerangis'' × '' Amesiella'') * '' ×Angrangis'' (''Aerangis'' × ''

Angraecum The genus ''Angraecum'', abbreviated as Angcm in horticultural trade, common name comet orchid, contains about 220 species. Etymology Despite the genus's distribution being largely confined to Africa and its offshore islands, the genus name is a ...

'') * '' ×Diaphanangis'' (''Aerangis'' × '' Diaphananthe'') * '' ×Euryangis'' (''Aerangis'' × '' Eurychone'') * '' ×Summerangis'' (''Aerangis'' × '' Summerhayesia'') * '' ×Thesaera'' (''Aerangis'' × ''

Aeranthes ''Aeranthes'', abbreviated Aerth in the horticultural trade,http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSWebsite/files/87/87be8b1e-908e-4e04-9ee6-30c438354458.pdf is an orchid genus with 47 species, mostly from shady, tropical humid forests in Zimbabwe, Madagascar a ...

'')

References

* (1865) Flora 48: 190. * (Eds) (2014) Genera Orchidacearum Volume 6: Epidendroideae (Part 3); page 344 ff., Oxford: Oxford University Press.

External links

* *
''Aerangis citrata''Orchidées Nature Producteur d'Orchidées, ''Aerangis''Société Belge d'Orchidophilie, les Aerangis
{{Taxonbar, from=Q20810 Vandeae genera Epiphytic orchids Flora of Africa Flora of the Comoros Flora of Sri Lanka Flora of Madagascar