''Houlletia'' is a genus of large-growing

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 ...

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 ...

s 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 Guatema ...

, and possibly also

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

through

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. was established with the publication by Brogniartt of ''Houlletia brocklehurstiana'' in 1841. The genus is named in honor of orchid collector and grower M. Houllet, French orchid collector in

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 ...

, later the director of the ''Botanic Jardin des Plantes'' in Paris, 19th century.

Environment

They are found growing

epiphytically 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 terrestrially on embankments in cool, humid, wet areas, 1,000-2,200 m elevation.

Classification and description

Gerlach (1999) places the genus Houlletia within the "Acineta-Verwandtschaftsgruppe," allied with ''

Acineta ''Acineta'', abbreviated as Acn in horticultural trade, is a small genus belonging to the orchid family ( Orchidaceae). The name is derived from the Greek word 'akinetos' (immobile), referring to the rigid labellum (lip). These epiphytic orch ...

'', ''

Lueddemannia ''Lueddemannia'' is a genus of orchids found from Venezuela to Peru. Three species are currently recognized as of June 2014: *''Lueddemannia dalessandroi'' (Dodson) G.Gerlach & M.H.Weber - Ecuador *''Lueddemannia pescatorei'' (Lindl.) Linden & R ...

'' and ''

Vasqueziella ''Vasqueziella'' is a genus of orchids. Only one species is known, ''Vasqueziella boliviana'', native to Peru and Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yel ...

'' within the larger ''

Stanhopeinae Stanhopeinae is a subtribe of plants in the tribe Cymbidieae. The subtribe in the strict sense, have viscidia and stipes that are thin and strap-like, they are adapted for attachment to edge of the bee's scutellum or to a leg. Pseudobulbs are u ...

'' Alliance. Whitten, Williams, and Chase distinguish the ''Houlletia'' clade among the ''

'', comprising ''

Horichia ''Horichia'' is a monotypic genus of orchid in the subtribe ''Stanhopeinae.'' Its only species is ''Horichia dressleri'', which is endemic to Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, Repúblic ...

'', ''Houlletia'', ''

Paphinia ''Paphinia'', abbreviated in horticultural trade Pna, is a genus of orchids, composed of an estimated 16 species from Central America, northern South America and Trinidad. These species are medium-sized epiphytes with small ovoid pseudobulbs and ...

'', ''Schlimmia'', and ''

Trevoria ''Trevoria'' is a genus of orchids native to southeastern Central America and northwestern South America. It grows in intermediate temperature and is found from Nicaragua and Costa Rica to Bolivia. ''Trevoria'' was described by FC Lehmann in 1 ...

''. They write: "As presently defined, ''Houlletia'' consists of two morphologically distinct groups. The group containing ''H. brockelhurstiana'' (the type species), ''H. tigrina'', ''H. odoratissima'' (Linden ex Lindl.), and ''H. juruenensis'' (Hoehne) have open,

resupinate Resupination is derived from the Latin word ''resupinus'', meaning "bent back with the face upward" or "on the back". "Resupination" is the noun form of the adjective "resupine" which means "being upside-down, supine or facing upward". The word " ...

flowers that are heavily spotted in red-brown. The epichile is triangular and the hypochile bears a pair of curved, acute projections; the lip shares many features of the lip of ''

''. The viscidium is narrow, approximately the same width of the long stipe, and the

pollinaria A pollinium (plural 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 mil ...

are deposited on the bee's scutellum. In contrast, the group containing ''H. sanderi'', ''H. wallisii'', ''H. clarae'' (Schltr.), and ''H. lowiana'' (Rchb.f). has globose, nonresupinate flowers that are white to yellow, mostly unspotted, and borne on an erect inflorescence. The epichile is rectangular or ovate (not triangular), and the lateral projections on the hypochile are broad instead of acute. The pollinarium has a broad, concave viscidium." The plants have ovoid, ridged pseudobulbs, each bearing 2-4 large, pleated leaves. The inflorescences begin from the base of the pseudobulbs and are always pendant, with fleshy, showy flowers hanging downward ("nodding") on a simple raceme. The dorsal sepal is free and the lateral sepals form a short mentum with the column foot. The petals are similar to the dorsal sepal but smaller. The lip is deeply 3-lobed, the lateral lobes are upcurved and the mid-lobe is spreading. The anther is imperfectly two-celled and there are two waxy pollinia, cleft, with viscidium and a prominent stipe. Note that in 1999, E. Luckel & H. Fessel published the new genus ''

Jennyella ''Jennyella'' is a genus of orchids. The description was published in 1999 by E. Luckel & H. Fessel separating four species previously grouped in '' Houlletia''. The genus is named in honor of Rudolf Jenny, noted researcher and author on orchids ...

'' "to accommodate the globose, white flowered taxa." They segregate four species previously attributed to ''Houlletia'' into the new genus ''Jennyella'': ''H. clarae'' (Schlechter 1924); ''H. kalbreyeriana'' (Kraenzlin 1920); ''H. lowiana'' (Rchb. f.); and ''H. sanderi'' (Rolfe 1910).

Intergeneric hybrids

*''Houllora'' (''Gongora'' × ''Houlletia''), in ''Orchid Rev.'', 108(1234), IPNI ID 1014858-1, February 7, 2003

References

* Brogniart (1841) "Houlletia brocklehurstiana," in: Annales des Sciences Naturelles; Botanique, sér. 2, 15: 37 * International Plant Names Index (IPNI)

External links

The Stanhopea Pages website /Houlletia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3308405 Stanhopeinae genera Epiphytic orchids Taxa named by Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart