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Aspasia (orchid)
Encyclopedia
Aspasia, abbreviated as Asp. in the horticultural trade, is a genus of 7 species of orchids occurring from southern Mexico
to southern Brazil
. The genus is closely related to Miltonia
and Brassia
. Aspasia species have few medium size flowers of exquisite colors which are occasionally cultivated or used to produce artificial hybrids.
on thick stems of the trees a low height, others live on branches where they get more light and a few occasionally appear as lithophyte
s.
Two species inhabit primarily Central America
the most common is Aspasia epidendroides, that ranges from Mexico
to Colombia
from sea level
to 1,100 meters of altitude
but much more common up to 400 meters; and the other is Aspasia principissa, which exists from Colombia to Costa Rica
, from sea level
to 600 of altitude
but often up to 150 meters. Exclusively from Colombia is Aspasia omissa, that is a species recently described whose the full range is not yet determined. Aspasia psittacina, endemic in Ecuador
, can be found from sea level
to 750 of altitude
but is much more common up to 300 meters. Aspasia variegata
is common in all Amazonian region, from 200 to 1300 meters in Bolivia
.
The last area occupied is the Brazil
ian southeast and south, reaching Bolivia and Paraguay
, from 200 to 750 meters, by Aspasia lunata
; and Aspasia silvana
exclusively at Brazilian Serra do Mar
mountains, from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia. These two, as Miltonia do, form large colonies, however, being not particularly common species, they are just occasionally found, mostly on areas of transition between shady forest and open areas both in rain forests and cloud montane forests.
Aspasia lunata is primarily epiphyte on thick stems but often is found living over rock grooves covered by fallen leaves and humid forest
s where they never are exposed to straight sunlight
. Aspasia variegata is found in open forests both in dry and flooded lands, then often on branches of the trees hanging over the waters.
Aspasia is a genus of comparatively robust plants intermediate of Brassia
and Miltonia
, to which it is morphologically closer although can be distinguished because its flowers show the labellum
partially fused to the column
up to the middle then abruptly folded down in a square angle. They are characterized for often showing am elongated rhyzome, with thicker root
s than Miltonia, with more elliptical or elongated and highly laterally flattened pseudobulb
s, protected by some foliar steaths shorter than the leaves
, and one or two apical leaves. These are articulated, basally conduplicate, ligulate sometimes with acute apex, thin and narrow, very malleable, light green colored. The inflorescence
is erect or arching, shorter than the leaves and bares one to nine flowers sometimes showy, which open in quick sequence holding at least three of four opened at the same time. The inflorescence shoots among the foliar steaths on the pseudobulb
s bases.
The flower
s vary according to the species. The petal
s from more elliptical to more acute, in some species wider than the sepal
s, in others narrower or similar in size and shape, from flat to concave. The labellum is fused to the inferior half of the column, seeming to emerge from there and thereafter becoming much wider; the blade varies from slightly to clearly three lobed, flat or reflected, fleshier on the center where they have calli or salient veins. The column is elongated, with or without small inferior auricles and presents a large apical anther with two hard yellow pollinia, stipe
and viscidium.
Their flowers last for about ten days, however, as not all open at the same time it is common to have a plant blooming during a whole month. Pollination
has not been observed and seems to be uncommon for few plants bearing fruits have been seen in nature, however, their floral morphology indicates the possibility of Euglossini
bee
s pollinators. When Aspasia species are used to produce artificial hybrids, the characteristic that seems to predominate is the low number of resulting flowers by inflorescence, prevailing even over the so floriferous Oncidium
.
Despite being easy to grow Aspasia species tent to be subject to spots on their thin leaves generally caused by fungi
proliferation. They should never be exposed to full sunlight
. They are not highly sensitive to temperature
but as it varies according to their origin, A. lunata being the one that grows cooler and A. principissa the warmer grower all under intermediate or warm temperatures, when possible it is better to try to reproduce the temperature on their habitats. Also for watering it is important to verify the necessities of each species as they come from different environments. Despite they show a resting period after blooming, Aspasia always need to be watered, more abundantly during active growth. They need at least 75% of humidity
and good ventilation all the time. Moderate weekly fertilizing with a balanced formula is beneficial during active growth. They may be potted in a compost of half-chopped Sphagnum
, vegetable fiber, and some medium sized lumps of charcoal
, or mounted on plaques of vegetable fiber, however, if mounted, they will need more frequent waterings.
in 1833 when he described its type species
, Aspasia epidendroides. The name of the genus is a reference to Aspasia of Miletus a friend of Pericles
. Its original description is very brief and mentions the plant was native in Panama
and West Colombia. Three years later he described two species more: Aspasia lunata and A. variegata.
Since its first species was described, sixteen names have been submitted to Aspasia, from these, seven are generally accepted as good species, two species remain unclear, six are considered synonyms of the accepted ones, and only one has been moved to another genus: A. pusilla was submitted to the genus Cischweinfia
, of which it is the type species.
Being well defined from the start, Aspasia has harly been a genus subject to disputes. Its only synonym is the genus Trophianthus, proposed in 1844 by Michael Scheidweiler to Aspasia lunata, because of its slight differences from the other successive flowering species, however, this genus was never largely accepted by taxonomists. Provided it was, today it would include also A. silvana. Aspasia lunata was also described again in 1855, by Reichenbach, under the genus Miltonia as M. odorata. Although having initially accepted the genus, Reichenbach decided all Aspasia would be better placed under the genus Odontoglossum
and, in 1864, he proposed this transfer. The idea apparently was not welcome and in 1878 Reichenbach was again accepting Aspasia as a good genus because at the time he transferred Odontoglossum psittacinum, a plant re received from Ecuador and described two years earlier, to Aspasia.
Aspasia principissa was described by Reichenbach based on a plant he received from Panama, in 1864, but, in 1949, Paul Hamilton Allen, considering it very close to Aspasia epidendroides, proposed it to be classified just as a variety of the later, however his classification was not widely accepted. In 2004, Eric A. Christenson, claiming that a new species of Aspasia from Colombia was long confused with A. principissa described it as A. omissa.
In 1978, Guido Pasbt illustrated a plant in Orchidaceae Brasilienses under the name Milpasia Leslie-Garay. Later this species was found again in Bahia
, Espírito Santo
and Rio de Janeiro States of Brazil and it became clear it was not a hybrid but a true species, in 1989, Fábio de Barros described with its current name, Aspasia silvana.
Two species, Aspasia lyrata and A. biberiana, have not been seen again since their original collections and are not positively identified. Both have been described to Brazil. The first, originally described as Epidendrum lyratum, in 1831, was observed by José Maria da Conceição Velloso in Rio de Janeiro. It shows more elongated pseudobulbs of rounder section, and its inflorescence is longer than the leaves with one small flower at the apex. Some taxonomists suppose it might be a natural hybrid, maybe of A. lunata with Miltonia regnellii
, or not an Aspasia at all. Providied it really is an Aspasia, then it was the first to be described. The other species, Aspasia biberiana, was described by Reichenbach to Pará
State, in Amazon forest; it has solitary green flowers. No known Aspasia from that area fits this description; apparently no taxonomist has checked the original description lately, therefore, more research is needed to positively identify this species. It is possible it was not really from Brazil and is a synonym of A. principissa.
Molecular analysis show that Aspasia most closely related important genera are Miltonia
and Brassia
, which are included in one of the eight clades that form the subtribus Oncidiinae
of tribus Cymbidieae
.
The species that exist on the Southeast of Brazil are the only two Aspasia to have a flat labellum. They can be easily separated from each other for A. silvana is a larger plant with longer rhizome and pseudobulbs that have an elongated base making them much taller than the ones of A. lunata. The flowers of A. silvana are three times larger than the ones of A. lunata. Both species, like Miltonia spectabilis
to which the slightly resemble, have just one flower, hardly ever two, per inflorescence. Both bloom from middle to the end of spring.
All the other Aspasia species bloom in quick succession. Aspasia variegata is similar to A. epidendroides but the plant is much smaller. The pseudobulbs of A. epidendroides are more than two times larger and much flatter, more elliptic, And A. variegata normally shows a flatter labellum with short purple stripes while A. epidendroides has more large stains close to its center. A. variegata blooms between the start of summer and middle fall and presents nice fragrance in the morning.
Aspasia epidendroides, A. omissa and A. principissa are similar but the latter is less robust and with larger flowers than A. epidendroides. Other less noticeable differences include: A. epidendroides has broad transverse markings on the lateral sepals, the column with an elliptic depression below the stigma and the apical half of the labellum is porrect while A. principissa has narrow longitudinal stripes on the lateral sepals, the column with an narrow linear groove below the stigma and the apical half of the labellum is not porrect. When Christenson described A. omissa, he claimed this differences were in fact the ones between A. epidendroides and A. omissa and that the real A. principissa is a plant with larger and more green flowers and general paler colors.
Aspasia psittacina is the only species found in Ecuador. It is vegetatively close to A. epidendroides, with large elliptic and highly flat pseudobulbs, it shows the same colors of the later, but has narrower flowers with the labellum proportionally much smaller.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to southern 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...
. The genus is closely related to Miltonia
Miltonia
Miltonia, abbreviated Milt. in the horticultural trade, is an orchid genus formed by nine epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one species reaching the northeast of Argentina and east of Paraguay. This genus was established by John Lindley in...
and Brassia
Brassia
Brassia is a genus of orchids classified in the Oncidiinae subtribe.The genus was named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator, who collected plants in Africa under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks...
. Aspasia species have few medium size flowers of exquisite colors which are occasionally cultivated or used to produce artificial hybrids.
Distribution
Aspasia exist in four different areas of Central and South America. Some species are exclusively epiphyticEpiphyte
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...
on thick stems of the trees a low height, others live on branches where they get more light and a few occasionally appear as lithophyte
Lithophyte
Lithophytes are a type of plant that grows in or on rocks. Lithophytes feed off moss, nutrients in rain water, litter, and even their own dead tissue....
s.
Two species inhabit primarily Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
the most common is Aspasia epidendroides, that ranges from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to 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...
from sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
to 1,100 meters of altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
but much more common up to 400 meters; and the other is Aspasia principissa, which exists from Colombia to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, from sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
to 600 of altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
but often up to 150 meters. Exclusively from Colombia is Aspasia omissa, that is a species recently described whose the full range is not yet determined. Aspasia psittacina, endemic in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, can be found from sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
to 750 of altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
but is much more common up to 300 meters. Aspasia variegata
Aspasia variegata
Aspasia variegata is a species of orchid common in all the Amazonian region , and from in Bolivia.Aspasia variegata is found in open forests both in dry and flooded lands, then often on branches of the trees hanging over the waters....
is common in all Amazonian region, from 200 to 1300 meters in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
.
The last area occupied is the 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...
ian southeast and south, reaching Bolivia and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, from 200 to 750 meters, by Aspasia lunata
Aspasia lunata
Aspasia lunata is a species of orchid, native to tropical South America, in the Brazilian southeast and south and reaching Bolivia and Paraguay, from in elevation.-Description:...
; and Aspasia silvana
Aspasia silvana
Aspasia silvana is a species of orchid, exclusively and endemic in the eastern Brazilian Serra do Mar mountains, from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia...
exclusively at Brazilian Serra do Mar
Serra do Mar
Serra do Mar is a 1,500 km long system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil, which runs in parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state of Espírito Santo to southern Santa Catarina, although some include Serra Geral in the Serra do Mar, in which case this range...
mountains, from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia. These two, as Miltonia do, form large colonies, however, being not particularly common species, they are just occasionally found, mostly on areas of transition between shady forest and open areas both in rain forests and cloud montane forests.
Aspasia lunata is primarily epiphyte on thick stems but often is found living over rock grooves covered by fallen leaves and humid forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s where they never are exposed to straight sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
. Aspasia variegata is found in open forests both in dry and flooded lands, then often on branches of the trees hanging over the waters.
Description
Brassia
Brassia is a genus of orchids classified in the Oncidiinae subtribe.The genus was named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator, who collected plants in Africa under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks...
and Miltonia
Miltonia
Miltonia, abbreviated Milt. in the horticultural trade, is an orchid genus formed by nine epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one species reaching the northeast of Argentina and east of Paraguay. This genus was established by John Lindley in...
, to which it is morphologically closer although can be distinguished because its flowers show the labellum
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
partially fused to the 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....
up to the middle then abruptly folded down in a square angle. They are characterized for often showing am elongated rhyzome, with thicker root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s than Miltonia, with more elliptical or elongated and highly laterally flattened 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, protected by some foliar steaths shorter than the leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, and one or two apical leaves. These are articulated, basally conduplicate, ligulate sometimes with acute apex, thin and narrow, very malleable, light green colored. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is erect or arching, shorter than the leaves and bares one to nine flowers sometimes showy, which open in quick sequence holding at least three of four opened at the same time. The inflorescence shoots among the foliar steaths on the 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 bases.
The 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 vary according to the species. The petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s from more elliptical to more acute, in some species wider than the sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s, in others narrower or similar in size and shape, from flat to concave. The labellum is fused to the inferior half of the column, seeming to emerge from there and thereafter becoming much wider; the blade varies from slightly to clearly three lobed, flat or reflected, fleshier on the center where they have calli or salient veins. The column is elongated, with or without small inferior auricles and presents a large apical anther with two hard yellow pollinia, stipe
Stipe (botany)
In botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....
and viscidium.
Their flowers last for about ten days, however, as not all open at the same time it is common to have a plant blooming during a whole month. Pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
has not been observed and seems to be uncommon for few plants bearing fruits have been seen in nature, however, their floral morphology indicates the possibility of Euglossini
Euglossini
Euglossine bees, also called orchid bees, are the only group of corbiculate bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess eusocial behavior. Most of the species are solitary, though a few are communal, or exhibit simple forms of eusociality...
bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s pollinators. When Aspasia species are used to produce artificial hybrids, the characteristic that seems to predominate is the low number of resulting flowers by inflorescence, prevailing even over the so floriferous Oncidium
Oncidium
Oncidium, abbreviated as Onc. in the horticultural trade, is a genus that contains about 330 species of orchids from the subtribe Oncidiinae of the orchid family . This is a complex, difficult genus, with many species being reclassified...
.
Despite being easy to grow Aspasia species tent to be subject to spots on their thin leaves generally caused by fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
proliferation. They should never be exposed to full sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
. They are not highly sensitive to temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
but as it varies according to their origin, A. lunata being the one that grows cooler and A. principissa the warmer grower all under intermediate or warm temperatures, when possible it is better to try to reproduce the temperature on their habitats. Also for watering it is important to verify the necessities of each species as they come from different environments. Despite they show a resting period after blooming, Aspasia always need to be watered, more abundantly during active growth. They need at least 75% of humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
and good ventilation all the time. Moderate weekly fertilizing with a balanced formula is beneficial during active growth. They may be potted in a compost of half-chopped Sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
, vegetable fiber, and some medium sized lumps of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, or mounted on plaques of vegetable fiber, however, if mounted, they will need more frequent waterings.
Taxonomic notes
The genus Aspasia was proposed by John LindleyJohn 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...
in 1833 when he described its type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Aspasia epidendroides. The name of the genus is a reference to Aspasia of Miletus a friend of Pericles
Pericles
Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars...
. Its original description is very brief and mentions the plant was native in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and West Colombia. Three years later he described two species more: Aspasia lunata and A. variegata.
Since its first species was described, sixteen names have been submitted to Aspasia, from these, seven are generally accepted as good species, two species remain unclear, six are considered synonyms of the accepted ones, and only one has been moved to another genus: A. pusilla was submitted to the genus Cischweinfia
Cischweinfia
Cischweinfia is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
, of which it is the type species.
Being well defined from the start, Aspasia has harly been a genus subject to disputes. Its only synonym is the genus Trophianthus, proposed in 1844 by Michael Scheidweiler to Aspasia lunata, because of its slight differences from the other successive flowering species, however, this genus was never largely accepted by taxonomists. Provided it was, today it would include also A. silvana. Aspasia lunata was also described again in 1855, by Reichenbach, under the genus Miltonia as M. odorata. Although having initially accepted the genus, Reichenbach decided all Aspasia would be better placed under the genus Odontoglossum
Odontoglossum
Odontoglossum, first named in 1816 by Karl Sigismund Kunth, is a genus of about 100 orchids. The scientific name is derived from the Greek words odon and glossa , referring to the two tooth-like calluses on the base of the lip...
and, in 1864, he proposed this transfer. The idea apparently was not welcome and in 1878 Reichenbach was again accepting Aspasia as a good genus because at the time he transferred Odontoglossum psittacinum, a plant re received from Ecuador and described two years earlier, to Aspasia.
Aspasia principissa was described by Reichenbach based on a plant he received from Panama, in 1864, but, in 1949, Paul Hamilton Allen, considering it very close to Aspasia epidendroides, proposed it to be classified just as a variety of the later, however his classification was not widely accepted. In 2004, Eric A. Christenson, claiming that a new species of Aspasia from Colombia was long confused with A. principissa described it as A. omissa.
In 1978, Guido Pasbt illustrated a plant in Orchidaceae Brasilienses under the name Milpasia Leslie-Garay. Later this species was found again in Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
and Rio de Janeiro States of Brazil and it became clear it was not a hybrid but a true species, in 1989, Fábio de Barros described with its current name, Aspasia silvana.
Two species, Aspasia lyrata and A. biberiana, have not been seen again since their original collections and are not positively identified. Both have been described to Brazil. The first, originally described as Epidendrum lyratum, in 1831, was observed by José Maria da Conceição Velloso in Rio de Janeiro. It shows more elongated pseudobulbs of rounder section, and its inflorescence is longer than the leaves with one small flower at the apex. Some taxonomists suppose it might be a natural hybrid, maybe of A. lunata with Miltonia regnellii
Miltonia regnellii
Miltonia regnellii, the Regnell's Miltonia, is a species of orchid occurring in southeastern and southern Brazil....
, or not an Aspasia at all. Providied it really is an Aspasia, then it was the first to be described. The other species, Aspasia biberiana, was described by Reichenbach to Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
State, in Amazon forest; it has solitary green flowers. No known Aspasia from that area fits this description; apparently no taxonomist has checked the original description lately, therefore, more research is needed to positively identify this species. It is possible it was not really from Brazil and is a synonym of A. principissa.
Molecular analysis show that Aspasia most closely related important genera are Miltonia
Miltonia
Miltonia, abbreviated Milt. in the horticultural trade, is an orchid genus formed by nine epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one species reaching the northeast of Argentina and east of Paraguay. This genus was established by John Lindley in...
and Brassia
Brassia
Brassia is a genus of orchids classified in the Oncidiinae subtribe.The genus was named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator, who collected plants in Africa under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks...
, which are included in one of the eight clades that form the subtribus Oncidiinae
Oncidiinae
The Oncidiinae is a subtribe within the Orchidaceae that consists of a number of genera that are closely related.This subtribe consists of about 70 genera with over 1000 species, with Oncidium as its largest genus. These genera consist of a single floral type based on the angle of the attachment of...
of tribus Cymbidieae
Cymbidieae
The Cymbidieae is a tribe within the family of orchids....
.
Species
Miltonia spectabilis
Miltonia spectabilis, the Outstanding Miltonia, is a species of orchid occurring in extreme eastern Brazil and has been erroneously reported to occur in Venezuela. It is the type species of the genus Miltonia....
to which the slightly resemble, have just one flower, hardly ever two, per inflorescence. Both bloom from middle to the end of spring.
All the other Aspasia species bloom in quick succession. Aspasia variegata is similar to A. epidendroides but the plant is much smaller. The pseudobulbs of A. epidendroides are more than two times larger and much flatter, more elliptic, And A. variegata normally shows a flatter labellum with short purple stripes while A. epidendroides has more large stains close to its center. A. variegata blooms between the start of summer and middle fall and presents nice fragrance in the morning.
Aspasia epidendroides, A. omissa and A. principissa are similar but the latter is less robust and with larger flowers than A. epidendroides. Other less noticeable differences include: A. epidendroides has broad transverse markings on the lateral sepals, the column with an elliptic depression below the stigma and the apical half of the labellum is porrect while A. principissa has narrow longitudinal stripes on the lateral sepals, the column with an narrow linear groove below the stigma and the apical half of the labellum is not porrect. When Christenson described A. omissa, he claimed this differences were in fact the ones between A. epidendroides and A. omissa and that the real A. principissa is a plant with larger and more green flowers and general paler colors.
Aspasia psittacina is the only species found in Ecuador. It is vegetatively close to A. epidendroides, with large elliptic and highly flat pseudobulbs, it shows the same colors of the later, but has narrower flowers with the labellum proportionally much smaller.