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Acacallis (orchid)
Encyclopedia
- For the mythological Greek mortal after whom this genus is named, see Acacallis (mythology)Acacallis (mythology)Acacallis in Greek mythology is the daughter of Minos, king of Crete, and Pasiphae. Apollodorus calls her Acalle . According to a Cretan mythological tradition, she bore a son to Hermes, Cydon, the founder of Cydonia. Other traditions describe Cydon as the offspring of Acacallis and Apollo...
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Acacallis Lindl. 1853, was a small South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n genus with a few species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
from the orchid family Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
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According to the authoritative database of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
, the genus Acacallis Lindl. has become a synonym of Aganisia
Aganisia
Aganisia Lindl. 1839, is a small South American genus in the orchid family , subfamily Epidendroideae.The genus was named after the Greek word ‘agnos’ , perhaps referring to the sweet scent of its flowers....
Lindl. All Acacallis species have now been synonymized with Aganisia species, except Acacallis rosariana V.P.Castro & M.M.Silva that has become an unplaced name.
The species of this former genus are found in the countries of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Both species have flowers that generally reach 4 cm in width and whose color is rare among orchids, varying from a rose-tinted violet to a blue-tinted violet produced from a creeping rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
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According to the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
, Ac. is the official abbreviation for this genus.
Species
- Acacallis coerulea (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1918 (now synonym of Aganisia fimbriata Rchb.f.)
- Acacallis cyanea Lindl. 1853 (Peru; Venezuela) (now synonym of Aganisia cyanea (Lindl.) Rchb.f)
- Acacallis fimbriata (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1918 (Peru; Venezuela) (now synonym of : Aganisia fimbriata Rchb.f)
- Acacallis hoehnei (Hoehne) Schltr. 1918 (now synonym of : Aganisia cyanea (Lindl.) Rchb.f.)
- Acacallis oliveriana (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1914 (now synonym of : Aganisia fimbriata Rchb.f.)
- Acacallis rosariana V.P.Castro & da Silva 2001 (unplaced name)