Koellensteinia Explained

Koellensteinia is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is named by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach for the Captain Carl Kellner von Koellenstein, an Austrian military officer and a botanical correspondent of Reichenbach.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Distribution and ecology

The genus contains about 19 species native to South America, Belize, Trinidad and Puerto Rico.^[4] Terrestrial or epiphytic plants found in low to mid elevation, hill and mountain forests.

Characteristics

Related to Zygopetalum. Stems short, leafy, usually forming pseudobulbs, 1- to 3-leaved. Leaves petiolate, linear to oblong, narrow, pleated, lightly veined. Inflorescence lateral, erect, slender, branched or unbranched, numerous to few-flowered. Flowers small to medium sized, fragrant, yellow or white, barred magenta, rose or violet and suffused pink on the outside. Sepals and petals subsimilar, free, spreading; lip trilobed with spreading or erect, small side lobes, a larger, broad midlobe that is entire or somewhat bilobed and has a bilobed, erect callus. Column with a conspicuous foot, very short, sometimes winged; pollinia 2 or 4.

Cultivation

Require intermediate conditions, moderate shade, and high humidity. The plants can be grown potted in a free-draining bark mixture and should not be allowed to dry out completely for any length of time.

Species

Currently 11 species are accepted:^[5]

1. Koellensteinia carraoensis Garay & Dunst. - Brazil North, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela
2. Koellensteinia dasilvae C.F.Hall & F.Barros - Brazil North
3. Koellensteinia eburnea (Barb.Rodr.) Schltr. - Bolivia, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central
4. Koellensteinia florida (Rchb.f.) Garay - Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast
5. Koellensteinia graminea (Lindl.) Rchb.f. - Trinidad, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela
6. Koellensteinia hyacinthoides Schltr. - Brazil North, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
7. Koellensteinia ionoptera Linden & Rchb.f. - Peru, Ecuador
8. Koellensteinia kellneriana Rchb.f. - Venezuela, French Guiana, Suriname, Colombia, Brazil North, Guyana
9. Koellensteinia lilijae Foldats - Panama, Venezuela
10. Koellensteinia spiralis Gomes Ferreira & L.C.Menezes - Bahia
11. Koellensteinia tricolor (Lindl.) Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers - Belize, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil North

See also

• List of Orchidaceae genera

References

• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. (1999). Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press.
• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. (2001). Genera Orchidacearum 2. Oxford Univ. Press.
• Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. (2003). Genera Orchidacearum 3. Oxford Univ. Press
• Berg Pana, H. 2005. Handbuch der Orchideen-Namen. Dictionary of Orchid Names. Dizionario dei nomi delle orchidee. Ulmer, Stuttgart

Notes and References

1. Reichenbach, Heinrich Gustav. Die Wagener'schen Orchideen. in Bonplandia. 1854. see pages 17-18. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5007356
2. F. Petter. Nekrologisches. in Oesterreichisches botanisches Wochenblatt. volume 2. 1852. page 213 https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28304954
3. Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch der freiherrlichen Häuser... Volume 18. page 398. https://books.google.com/books?id=Gb8TAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22giusti-giardino%22+kellner&pg=PA41-IA2
4. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=106148 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
5. Web site: Koellensteinia Rchb.f. . Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 19 July 2022.