Aganisia Explained

Aganisia is a small South American genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), subfamily Epidendroideae.^{[1] [2]}

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

These dwarf, epiphytic climbing orchids occur in mountainous or savanna forests and alongside rivers in Trinidad, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Peru.^[3]

Aganisia produce pseudobulbs and small flowers 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 foot and an elongate stipe.^[4]

They are rarely cultivated.

Species

Four species are currently recognized (May 2014):^[3]

• • • • Aganisia cyanea (Lindl.) Rchb.f. - Blue orchid - Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil Aganisia fimbriata Rchb.f. - Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Guyana, Suriname Aganisia pulchella Lindl. - Trinidad, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil Aganisia rosariana (V.P.Castro & J.B.F.Silva) F.Barros & L.R.S.Guim. - Brazil (Rondônia)

Intergeneric Hybrids

• xDownsara. = Aganisia x Batemannia x Otostylis x Zygosepalum
• xHamelwellsara = Aganisia x Batemannianax Otostylis x Zygopetalum x Zygosepalum
• xMauriceara = Aganisia x Batemanniana x Pabstia x Promenaea x Otostylis x Zygopetalum x Zygosepalum
• xOtonisia = Aganisia x Otostylis
• xZygonisia = Aganisia x Zygopetalum

External links

• Acacallis cyanea - Orchid, Acacallis cyanea is one of the most beautiful of the Zygopetalinae
• Royal Horticultural Society: Registration of Orchids
• Missouri Botanical Garden

Notes and References

1. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/241061#page/255/mode/1up Lindley, John. 1839. Edwards's Botanical Register 25: Misc. 46
2. William Louis Stern, Walter S; Judd and Barbara S. Carlsward : Systematic and comparative anatomy of Maxillarieae (Orchidaceae), sans Oncidiinae - Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 144 Issue 3 Page 251 - March 2004
3. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=4378 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
4. Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil Web site: 2010 . 2015-08-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906080403/http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010/ . 2015-09-06 . . Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro