''Sobralia'' 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 orchids 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 ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

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 ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The plants are more commonly terrestrial, but are also 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 ...

, in wet forests from

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

to about 8,800 ft. The genus was named for Dr.

Francisco Sobral Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

, a Spanish botanist. The genus is abbreviated Sob in trade journals. Their reed-like Plant stem, stems range in height from about 1 ft (33 cm) (such as in ''Sobralia galeottiana'') to 44 ft. (13.4 m) (in ''Sobralia altissima''). They have typically heavily veined, bilobed, plicate, apical Leaf, leaves all along the stem. The inflorescences on the apex of the stem carry one or two successive ephemeral flowers with large sepals and petals. The short duration of the flower is caused by a self-digesting enzyme. The Labellum (botany), lip is entire or lobed and clasps the column (botany), column at its base. This columns carries eight soft pollinium, pollinia. These flowers range in color from pure white to yellow, green, pink, purple, red, brown, and even a blue violet.

Taxonomy

The following species are recognized: * ''Sobralia aerata'' (C.K.Allen & L.O.Williams) Garay * ''Sobralia allenii'' L.O.Williams * ''Sobralia altissima'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson * ''Sobralia amabilis'' (Rchb.f.) L.O.Williams * ''Sobralia anceps'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia andreae'' Dressler * ''Sobralia antioquiensis'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia aspera'' Dressler & Pupulin * ''Sobralia atropubescens'' Ames & C.Schweinf. * ''Sobralia augusta'' Hoehne. * ''Sobralia aurantiaca'' Linden & Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia biflora'' Ruiz & Pav. * ''Sobralia bimaculata'' Garay * ''Sobralia blancoi'' Dressler & Pupulin * ''Sobralia bletiae'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia boliviensis'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia buchtienii'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia calliantha'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson * ''Sobralia callosa'' L.O.Williams * ''Sobralia caloglossa'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia candida'' (Poepp. & Endl.) Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia carazoi'' Lank. & Ames * ''Sobralia cardosoi'' Campacci & J.B.F.Silva * ''Sobralia cataractarum'' Hoehne * ''Sobralia cattleya'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia chatoensis'' A.H.Heller & A.D.Hawkes * ''Sobralia chrysantha'' Lindl. * ''Sobralia chrysoleuca'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia chrysostoma'' Dressler * ''Sobralia ciliata'' (C.Presl) C.Schweinf. ex Foldats * ''Sobralia citrea'' Dressler * ''Sobralia crispissima'' Dressler * ''Sobralia crocea'' (Poepp. & Endl.) Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia decora'' Bateman * ''Sobralia densifoliata'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia dichotoma'' Ruiz & Pav. * ''Sobralia dissimilis'' Dressler * ''Sobralia dorbignyana'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia doremiliae'' Dressler * ''Sobralia ecuadorana'' Dodson * ''Sobralia exigua'' Dressler * ''Sobralia exilis'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia fimbriata'' Poepp. & Endl. * ''Sobralia fragilis'' Dressler & Bogarín * ''Sobralia fragrans'' Lindl. * ''Sobralia fruticetorum'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia fuzukiae'' Dressler & Bogarín * ''Sobralia galeottiana'' A.Rich. * ''Sobralia gentryi'' Dodson * ''Sobralia gloriana'' Dressler * ''Sobralia gloriosa'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia granitica'' G.A.Romero & Carnevali * ''Sobralia hagsateri'' Dodson * ''Sobralia hawkesii'' A.H.Heller * ''Sobralia helleri'' A.D.Hawkes * ''Sobralia herzogii'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia hirta'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson * ''Sobralia hirtzii'' Dodson * ''Sobralia hoppii'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia imavieirae'' Campacci & J.B.F.Silva * ''Sobralia infundibuligera'' Garay & Dunst. * ''Sobralia kermesina'' Garay * ''Sobralia kerryae'' Dressler * ''Sobralia klotzscheana'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia kruskayae'' Dressler * ''Sobralia labiata'' Warsz. & Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia lancea'' Garay * ''Sobralia leucoxantha'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia liliastrum'' Lindl. * ''Sobralia lindleyana'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia lowii'' Rolfe * ''Sobralia luerorum'' Dodson * ''Sobralia luteola'' Rolfe * ''Sobralia macdougallii'' Soto Arenas Pérez-García & Salazar * ''Sobralia macra'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia macrantha'' Lindl. * ''Sobralia macrophylla'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia madisonii'' Dodson * ''Sobralia maduroi'' Dressler * ''Sobralia malmiana'' Pabst * ''Sobralia malmquistiana'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia margaritae'' Pabst * ''Sobralia mariannae'' Dressler * ''Sobralia mucronata'' Ames & C.Schweinf. * ''Sobralia mutisii'' P.Ortiz * ''Sobralia neudeckeri'' Dodson * ''Sobralia nutans'' Dressler * ''Sobralia odorata'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia oliva-estevae'' Carnevali & I.Ramírez * ''Sobralia oroana'' Dodson * ''Sobralia paludosa'' Linden * ''Sobralia paradisiaca'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia pardalina'' Garay * ''Sobralia parviflora'' L.O.Williams * ''Sobralia persimilis'' Garay * ''Sobralia pfavii'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia piedadiae'' Dodson * ''Sobralia portillae'' Christenson * ''Sobralia powellii'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia pulcherrima'' Garay * ''Sobralia pumila'' Rolfe * ''Sobralia purpurea'' Dressler * ''Sobralia purpurella'' Dressler & Bogarín * ''Sobralia quinata'' Dressler * ''Sobralia rarae-avis'' Dressler * ''Sobralia recta'' Dressler * ''Sobralia rhizophorae'' Cornejo & Dodson * ''Sobralia rigidissima'' Linden ex Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia roezlii'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia rogersiana'' Christenson * ''Sobralia rolfeana'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia rondonii'' Hoehne * ''Sobralia rosea'' Poepp. & Endl. * ''Sobralia roseoalba'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia ruckeri'' Linden & Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia ruparupaensis'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson * ''Sobralia rupicola'' Kraenzl. * ''Sobralia sancti-josephi'' Kraenzl. * ''Sobralia sanctorum'' Dressler & Bogarín * ''Sobralia sanfelicis'' Dressler * ''Sobralia schultzei'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia scopulorum'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia semperflorens'' Kraenzl. * ''Sobralia setigera'' Poepp. & Endl. * ''Sobralia sobralioides'' (Kraenzl.) Garay * ''Sobralia sororcula'' Dressler * ''Sobralia sotoana'' Dressler & Bogarín * ''Sobralia speciosa'' C.Schweinf. * ''Sobralia splendida'' Schltr. * ''Sobralia stenophylla'' Lindl. * ''Sobralia stevensonii'' Dodson * ''Sobralia tamboana'' Dodson * ''Sobralia theobromina'' Dressler * ''Sobralia tricolor'' Dressler * ''Sobralia turkeliae'' Christenson * ''Sobralia undatocarinata'' C.Schweinf. * ''Sobralia uribei'' P.Ortiz * ''Sobralia valida'' Rolfe * ''Sobralia violacea'' Linden ex Lindl. * ''Sobralia virginalis'' Peeters & Cogn. * ''Sobralia warszewiczii'' Rchb.f. * ''Sobralia weberbaueriana'' Kraenzl. * ''Sobralia wilsoniana'' Rolfe * ''Sobralia withneri'' D.E.Benn. & Christenson * ''Sobralia xantholeuca'' B.S.Williams * ''Sobralia yauaperyensis'' Barb. Rodr.

Hybrids

* ''Sobralia × intermedia'' P.H.Allen * Sobralia × veitchii, ''Sobralia'' ''×'' ''veitchii'' hort.

Gallery

Image: Sobralia_decora_-_Tapanti_region_of_Costa_Rica.jpg, ''Sobralia decora'' Image: Sobralia dichotoma (1).jpg, ''Sobralia dichotoma'' Image: Sobralia fragrans - fl 1.jpg, ''Sobralia fragrans'' Image: Sobralia macrantha (BG Zurich)-02.JPG, ''Sobralia macrantha'' Image: Sobralia macrophylla - fl.jpg, ''Sobralia macrophylla'' Image: Sobralia ruckeri-Xenia 1 fig 42 (1858).jpg, ''Sobralia ruckeri''

References

External links

*
The Sobralia Pages website, by Nina Rach
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133231 Sobralia, Epiphytic orchids Sobralieae genera Orchids of Central America Orchids of North America Orchids of South America