''Paphinia'', abbreviated in horticultural trade Pna, is a genus of
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, composed of an estimated 16 species from
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. ...
, northern
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
and
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 ...
. These species are medium-sized
epiphyte
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 ...
s with small ovoid
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 and ...
s and 2 or more leaves. The generic name comes from the Greek ''Paphia'', the name of
Aphrodite
Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
of Cyprus.
Most authorities consider the genus rare.
Species accepted as of June 2014:
# ''
Paphinia benzingii''
Dodson & Neudecker – Ecuador
# ''
Paphinia cristata''
(Lindl.) Lindl. – Trinidad, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, northern Brazil
# ''
Paphinia dunstervillei''
Dodson & G.A.Romero – Venezuela
# ''
Paphinia grandiflora''
Barb.Rodr. – northern Brazil
# ''
Paphinia herrerae''
Dodson – Ecuador
# ''
Paphinia hirtzii''
Dodson – Ecuador
# ''
Paphinia levyae''
Garay – Ecuador
# ''
Paphinia lindeniana''
Rchb.f. – Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru
# ''
Paphinia litensis''
Dodson & Neudecker – Ecuador
# ''
Paphinia neudeckeri''
Jenny – Ecuador, Colombia
# ''
Paphinia posadarum''
Dodson & R.Escobar – Ecuador, Colombia
# ''
Paphinia rugosa''
Rchb.f. – Colombia
# ''
Paphinia seegeri''
G.Gerlach – Colombia
# ''
Paphinia subclausa''
Dressler – Costa Rica
# ''
Paphinia vermiculifera''
G.Gerlach & Dressler – Panama
# ''
Paphinia zamorae''
Garay – Ecuador
Hybrids include:
*''Paphinia'' Majestic (''P. cristata'' x ''P. herrerae'')
*''Paphinia'' Memoria Remo Lombardi (''P. herrerae'' x ''P. lindeniana'')
*''Gonginia'' (''Gongora'' x ''Paphinia''), an intergeneric hybrid
References
External links
*
International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2473744
Stanhopeinae genera
Epiphytic orchids