Aerides

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Aerides
Aerides-falcatum.jpg
Aerides falcata
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Vandeae
Subtribe: Aeridinae
Genus: Aerides
Lour., 1790
Type species
Aerides odorata
Synonyms [2]
  • AeridiumSalisb.
  • OrxeraRaf.

Aerides, known commonly as cat's-tail orchids and fox brush orchids, is a genus belonging to the orchid family (Orchidaceae, subfamily Epidendroideae, tribe Vandeae, subtribe Aeridinae). It is a group of tropical epiphyte orchids that grow mainly in the warm lowlands of tropical Asia from India to southern China to New Guinea. [2] [3] They are valued in horticulture for their racemes of showy, fragrant, colorful flowers. [4]

Contents

The name of the genus refers to the epiphytic growth habit of the species, [5] and literally means "air-plant". [4] The type species, Aerides odorata , was described by João de Loureiro in 1790. [5] This genus is abbreviated Aer in the horticultural trade.

Description

The species in this genus range from small to large monopodial epiphytes, except for Aerides krabiensis , which is a lithophyte. [4] They form pendulous racemes with many long-lasting, fragrant, waxy flowers, which are often white with purple or pink edges. Some species have purple or pink flowers, and a few have yellow. Each flower has a forward-facing spur and grows on a sharp, stout, leafy stem. [6] [7] The leaves are distichous, growing in two vertical rows. The leaf margins are bilobed, and the apex is emarginate. There are ligules. Morphologically, they are very similar to species in the genus Vanda . [6]

Habitat

The genus grows in the tropics of Asia, in India, Nepal, southern China, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and New Guinea. [2] They flower from June to July. [6] Temperature requirements vary from cool to warm growing depending on the species.

Cultivation

Most Aerides species are considered easy to grow. Their flowers are fragrant and long-lived, which make them popular in horticulture as cut flowers and potted plants. [4] Aerides can be kept in hanging baskets, teak containers or net pots, which allow the roots to extend into the air. They grow best in well-drained media, such as tree fern fibers, fir bark, and sphagnum moss. They require full sunlight, warm temperatures, and water applied to the roots. [5] The plants do not tolerate disturbance or damage of their root systems in cultivation. [8]

The plants do not have pseudobulbs. The leaves are leathery and drought-resistant. Many of these species have a monopodial vine-like growth habit, and the plants can quickly grow large.

Species

The following species are recognized as of June 2014, [2] all monopodial epiphytic plants except the lithophyte A. krabiense.

  1. Aerides augustiana Rolfe - Philippines
  2. Aerides crassifolia C.S.P.Parish ex Burb. - Assam, Indochina
  3. Aerides crispa Lindl. - western India
  4. Aerides emericii Rchb.f. - Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  5. Aerides falcata Lindl. & Paxton - Yunnan, Indochina
  6. Aerides houlletiana Rchb.f. - Indochina
  7. Aerides huttonii (Hook.f.) J.H.Veitch - Sulawesi
  8. Aerides inflexa Teijsm. & Binn. - Borneo, Sulawesi
  9. Aerides × jansonii Rolfe - Myanmar (A. falcata × A. odorata)
  10. Aerides krabiense Seidenf. - Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia
  11. Aerides lawrenceae Rchb.f. - Philippines
  12. Aerides leeana Rchb.f. - Philippines
  13. Aerides macmorlandii B.S.Williams - India
  14. Aerides maculosa Lindl. - India
  15. Aerides multiflora Roxb. - India, Himalayas, Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, Andaman Islands, Indochina
  16. Aerides odorata Lour. - Yunnan, Guangdong, India, Himalayas, Bangladesh, Nepal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Indochina, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia
  17. Aerides orthocentra Hand.-Mazz. - Yunnan
  18. Aerides quinquevulnera Lindl. - Philippines, New Guinea
  19. Aerides ringens (Lindl.) C.E.C.Fisch. in J.S.Gamble - India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands
  20. Aerides roebelenii Rchb.f. - Philippines
  21. Aerides rosea Lodd. ex Lindl. & Paxton - Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Bhutan, Assam, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  22. Aerides rubescens (Rolfe) Schltr. - Vietnam
  23. Aerides savageana A.H.Kent in H.J.Veitch - Philippines
  24. Aerides shibatiana Boxall ex Náves in F.M.Blanco - Philippines
  25. Aerides sukauensis Shim - Sabah
  26. Aerides thibautiana Rchb.f. - Sulawesi
  27. Aerides timorana Miq. - Timor† (apparently extinct; not collected since 1849)

Hybrids

Natural hybrids include Aerides × jansonii, a cross between Aerides falcata and Aerides odorata .

Many hybrids have been made between Aerides and other orchids. The horticultural specimen × Christieara is a three-way hybrid between Aerides, Vanda, and Ascocentrum . Hybrids come in a wide range of colors due to the high degree of genetic diversity. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Vanda</i> Genus of orchids

Vanda, abbreviated in the horticultural trade as V., is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. There are about 87 species, and the genus is commonly cultivated for the marketplace. This genus and its allies are considered to be among the most specifically adapted of all orchids within the Orchidaceae. The genus is highly prized in horticulture for its showy, fragrant, long-lasting, and intensely colorful flowers. Vanda species are widespread across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, with a few species extending into Queensland and some of the islands of the western Pacific.

<i>Paphiopedilum</i> Genus of orchids

Paphiopedilum, often called the Venus slipper, is a genus of the lady slipper orchid subfamily Cypripedioideae of the flowering plant family Orchidaceae. The genus comprises some 80 accepted taxa including several natural hybrids. The genus is native to Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, southern China, New Guinea and the Solomon and Bismarck Islands. The type species of this genus is Paphiopedilum insigne.

<i>Phalaenopsis</i> Genus of orchids

Phalaenopsis, also known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to India, Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines.

<i>Acampe</i> Genus of epiphytes

Acampe, abbreviated as Acp in horticultural trade, is a genus of monopodial, epiphytic vandaceous species of orchids, distributed from tropical Asia from India, eastwards to China and southwards to Malaysia, and the Philippines as well as from tropical Africa, Madagascar and islands of the Indian Ocean. The name Acampe was derived from the Greek word akampas, meaning "rigid", referring to the small, brittle, inflexible flowers.

<i>Tainia</i> Genus of orchids

Tainia, commonly known as ribbon orchids or 带唇兰属 is a genus of about thirty species of evergreen, terrestrial orchids in the distributed from India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Queensland.

<i>Acriopsis</i> Genus of orchids

Acriopsis, commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic herbs with spherical or cylindrical pseudobulbs, creeping, branched rhizomes, thin white roots, two or three leaves and many small flowers. The flowers are non-resupinate with the lateral sepals joined along their edges and have spreading petals and a three-lobed labellum. The column has projections that extend hood-like beyond the anther.

<i>Tropidia</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

Tropidia, commonly known as crown orchids, is a genus of about thirty species of evergreen terrestrial orchids in the family Orchidaceae. They have thin, wiry stems with two or more tough, pleated leaves with a flowering spike at the top of the stem, bearing crowded flowers. Species in this genus are distributed across the warmer parts of both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

<i>Rhynchostylis</i> Genus of orchids

Rhynchostylis is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), closely allied to the genus Vanda and comprising four currently accepted species native to the Indian Subcontinent, China, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The name consists of a compound of two Greek elements : rhynchos 'beak' and stylis 'column' – in reference to the very broad, fleshy column of the flower. The flowers are borne in dense racemes and are noted for their intense, spicy fragrance. Although lacking in pseudobulbs, the plants have leathery leaves that are drought-resistant. These orchids grow naturally in warm, moist, shaded tropical areas and will thrive in cultivation if given consistent warmth, uniform moisture and bright, but indirect light. Hobbyists wanting to grow them will need a warm, humid growing environment with gentle air movement. They can be grown in pots, but are better grown in baskets, owing to the extreme fleshiness of their roots. Their unusually fragrant blooms often appear in the slightly cooler winter months.

<i>Arachnis</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

The genus Arachnis, abbreviated as Arach in horticultural trade, is a member of the orchid family (Orchidaceae), consisting of more than 20 species native to China, India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

<i>Luisia</i> Genus of orchids

Luisia, commonly known as velvet orchids or 钗子股属 , is a genus of epiphytic or lithophytic orchids in family Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus have flattened roots, long leafy stems, narrow, thick, leathery leaves and short-lived flowers that open sporadically. There are about forty species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the Western Pacific.

<i>Robiquetia</i> Genus of orchids

Robiquetia, commonly known as pouched orchids, or 寄树兰属 , is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are epiphytes with long, sometimes branched, fibrous stems, leathery leaves in two ranks and large numbers of small, densely crowded flowers on a pendulous flowering stem. There are about eighty species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the Western Pacific.

<i>Trichoglottis</i> Genus of orchid

Trichoglottis, commonly known as cherub orchids or 毛舌兰属 , is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic plants with thick roots, relatively thick, fibrous stems and many large, thick, leathery leaves arranged in two ranks. The flowers are usually small and yellowish with light brown or purple markings. The flowers have broad sepals, narrower petals and a labellum which has three lobes and is often hairy. There are about 85 species distributed from tropical and subtropical Asia to the north-western Pacific. Most species grow in rainforest.

<i>Pholidota</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

Pholidota, commonly known as rattlesnake orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are clump-forming epiphytes or lithophytes with pseudobulbs, each with a single large leaf and a large number of small, whitish flowers arranged in two ranks along a thin, wiry flowering stem that emerges from the top of the pseudobulb. There are about thirty five species native to areas from tropical and subtropical Asia to the southwestern Pacific.

<i>Thelasis</i> Genus of orchids

Thelasis, commonly known as fly orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are usually epiphytes, sometimes lithophytes or rarely terrestrials. Some species have pseudobulbs with up to three leaves, whilst others have several leaves in two ranks. A large number of small, white or greenish yellow flowers are borne on a thin, arching flowering stem. There are about thirty species, distributed from tropical and subtropical Asia to the southwest Pacific.

<i>Micropera</i> Genus of orchids

Micropera, commonly known as dismal orchids or 小囊兰属 is a genus of about twenty species of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are large epiphytes with thick roots, long, fibrous stems, linear leaves and whitish or yellow, non-resupinate flowers. The sepals and petals are similar to each other and the labellum is shoe-shaped or sac-like and has three lobes. It is found from Tibet to tropical Asia and the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Papilionanthe</i> Genus of orchids

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<i>Peristylus</i> Genus of orchids

Peristylus, sometimes commonly known as ogre orchids or bog orchids is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It consists of over 100 known species found across much of eastern and southern Asia as well as in Australia and on many islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Pomatocalpa</i> Genus of orchids

Pomatocalpa, commonly known as bladder orchids, or 鹿角兰属 , is a genus of about twenty five species from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are epiphytes or lithophytes with thick, leathery leaves and a large number of small flowers with a three-lobed labellum. There are about twenty five species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the south-west Pacific.

<i>Pteroceras</i> Genus of orchids

Pteroceras is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.

<i>Schoenorchis</i> Genus of orchids

Schoenorchis, commonly known as flea orchids, or 匙唇兰属 in Chinese, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are small epiphytes with thin roots, thin leafy stems with leaves in two ranks and tiny fragrant, almost tube-shaped flowers with a prominently spurred labellum. There are about twenty five species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the Western Pacific.

References

  1. Aerides | International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.ipni.org/n/30055830-2
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. Flora of China v 25 p 485, 指甲兰属 zhi jia lan shu, Aerides Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 2: 525. 1790.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Banks, David P. (1999), Tropical Orchids: Of Southeast Asia, Tuttle Publishing, p. 8, ISBN   978-962-593-156-2
  5. 1 2 3 "Aerides Orchid Genus". Species Specific. Bill Hunter. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 Peter, K. V. (2007), Underutilized and underexploited horticultural crops, Volume 1, New India Publishing, p. 118, ISBN   978-81-89422-60-8
  7. Kramer, Jack (2006), 100 Orchids for Florida, Pineapple Press Inc, p. 32, ISBN   978-1-56164-367-7
  8. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids ISBN   0-88192-267-6