Aganisia Lindl.

John Lindley

John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...

 1839, is a small South American genus in 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,...

), subfamily Epidendroideae

Epidendroideae

In plant systematics Epidendroideae is a subfamily of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most Epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes, typically with pseudobulbs...

.

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

These dwarf, epiphytic

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

 climbing orchids occur in n montane or savanna forests and alongside rivers in Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...

, 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, Venezuela, Guyana, and Peru.

These orchids show pseudobulb

Pseudobulb

The pseudobulb is a storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.It applies to the orchid family , specifically certain groups of epiphytic orchids, and may be single or composed of several internodes with evergreen or deciduous leaves along its length.In some species, it is...

s and small flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s 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...

. These flowers generally reach 4 cm in width. Their color is rare among orchids, varying from a rose-tinted violet to a blue-tinted violet. The flowers shows a short column

Column (botany)

The column, or technically the gynostemium, is a reproductive structure that can be found in several plant families: Aristolochiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Stylidiaceae....

 foot and an elongate stipe.

They are rarely cultivated.

Species

• Aganisia cyanea
  Aganisia cyanea
  Aganisia cyanea is a species of orchid....
  
  : Blue orchid (S. Trop. America).
• Aganisia fimbriata (N. & W. South America).
• Aganisia pulchella
  Aganisia pulchella
  Aganisia pulchella is a species of orchid. It is the type species of the genus Aganisia....
  
  (Trinidad to Brazil). – type species

Intergeneric Hybrids

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