Acineta
(pronounced: ay-sin-EE-tah)
Classification
Maxillarieae subtribe Stanhopeinae
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Overview
Massive caespitose epiphytes. Pseudobulbs large, ovoid. Leaves several, plicate, elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, +/- petiolate. Inflorescences densely many-flowered pendent racemes, the flowers arranged in a cylinder and facing in all directions. Flowers globose, extremely fleshy-waxy, facing downwards. Sepals suborbicular, deeply concave, the lateral sepals fused at the base. Petals elliptic-obovate, parallel to and encompassing the column. Lip divided into a hypochile and epichile, the epichile three-lobed with a large basal callus. Column stout, fleshy, club-shaped, with small wings and a short foot; pollinia 2, grooved, attached to a subequal stipe and viscidium.
Etymology
From the Greek akinetos, meaning immovable, in reference to the rigid lip.
Distribution
A genus of 20 species found throughout the Neotropics from Mexico to Peru.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow plants of Acineta in open baskets to allow for the pendent inflorescences. Use a coarse epiphytic medium. The plants require cool-intermediate to cool temperatures and are best hung where they obtain bright light. Provide more shade if leaf temperatures cannot be kept to a reasonable level. Water heavily once new growths and roots have begun. After the pseudobulbs have matured watering should be reduced to maintenance levels to avoid rotting the pseudobulbs during the resting period.
SpeciesKey
1 Column wings suborbicular, broadly obtuse-rounded, mostly as long as wide; petals densely spotted. A. superba 1' Column wings rectangular, transversely longer than wide; petals not densely spotted, spotted only at the base or here and there toward the apices. 2 2(1') Column with long pilose trichomes; petals spotted randomly, the spots concentrated toward the apices. A. barkeri 2 Column with fine puberulent trichomes; petals finely spotted at the base. A. erythroxantha
Literature
Horich, C. K. 1967. Eine neue mittelamerikanische Acineta. Die Orchidee 18(6):306-310; Schlechter, R. 1917. Die Gattung Acineta Lindl. Orchis 11:21-48.
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