Biology:Lycaste

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Lycaste, abbreviated as Lyc. in horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids that contains about 30 species with egg-shaped pseudobulbs and thin, plicate (pleated) leaves.

Description

Lycaste flowers, like all orchid blooms, have three petals and three sepals. The petals are typically yellow, white, or orange, and the sepals are yellow, orange, green, or reddish brown. The petals and sepals may be marked sparsely or densely with red, reddish purple, purple, or reddish brown spots. The lip (ventral petal) may be very similar to the other two petals, as in Lycaste aromatica or Lycaste brevispatha, or colored quite distinctively, as in several subspecies and varieties of Lycaste macrophylla. Most Lycaste flowers are medium in size, averaging about 5 to 10 cm, but Lycaste schilleriana is 16–18 cm across. Some Lycaste blooms have a unique fragrance - the scent of Lycaste aromatica has been variously described as cinnamon or clove. The blooms of the species Lycaste cochleata, Lycaste consobrina, and Lycaste cruenta also have a pleasant scent.

Taxonomy

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, is recognized by the American Orchid Society as the definitive authority on orchid taxonomy. The Checklist currently acknowledges 31 species of Lycaste, 3 natural hybrids, 2 subspecies (and 1 nominate subspecies), and 1 variety. Orchid growers and orchid collectors, who tend to be taxonomic splitters more often than lumpers, recognize additional subspecies and varieties of Lycaste, as well as alba (white) forms of several species.

Sections

The Lycastes are divided into four sections and two subsections:

  • Section Deciduosae - deciduous, that is, they usually lose their leaves during an annual dormant period
    • Subsection Xanthanthae - have yellow to orange blooms; the name comes from xantho (yellow) and anthos (flower)
    • Subsection Paradeciduosae - have pink-marked white blooms; the name comes from para (similar or near) and deciduosae (deciduous)
  • Section Longisepalae - has very long sepals
  • Section Macrophyllae - keep their leaves during dormancy; the name comes from macro (large) and phyllae (leaves)
  • Section Fimbriatae - typically have fringed lips

All but two of the Deciduosae have spines at the apices of their pseudobulbs, that become exposed when the leaves are dropped. The exceptions are the Xanthanthae species Lycaste lasioglossa and the Paradeciduosae species Lycaste tricolor. Both of these species lack spines, and may bloom when leaves are still present.

List of species by section

As of March 2026, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[1]

Section Image Name Distribution Elevation (m)
Section Deciduosae 120px Lycaste aromatica (Graham ex Hooker) Lindley 1843 Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador 500–2,000 metres (1,600–6,600 ft)
Lycaste bermudezii (Archila) J.M.H.Shaw 2014 Guatemala
120px Lycaste bradeorum Schltr. 1923 Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica 700–1,250 metres (2,300–4,100 ft)
120px Lycaste campbelli C. Schweinf. 1949 Colombia (Choco, Antioquia)
Lycaste chaconii (Archila) J.M.H.Shaw 2014 Guatemala
120px Lycaste cochleata Lindl. & Paxton 1850-1 Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua
120px Lycaste consobrina Rchb.f 1852 Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua 200–1,000 metres (660–3,280 ft)
120px Lycaste crinita Lindl. 1844 Mexico (Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacan, Guerrero, and Oaxaca ) 300–1,700 metres (980–5,580 ft)
120px Lycaste cruenta Lindl. 1843 Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador 1,800–2,200 metres (5,900–7,200 ft)
120px Lycaste deppei (Lodd.)Lindley 1843 Mexico (Tamaulipas, Puebla, Vera Cruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas), Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua 1,100–1,700 metres (3,600–5,600 ft)
120px Lycaste lasioglossa Rchb. f. 1872 Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft)
120px Lycaste macrobulbon Lindl. 1850-1 Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil 1,200–2,000 metres (3,900–6,600 ft)
Lycaste angelae Oakley 2008 Costa Rica, Panama 1,000–1,700 metres (3,300–5,600 ft)
120px Lycaste brevispatha (Klotzsch) Lindl. & Paxton 1852 Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama 800–1,800 metres (2,600–5,900 ft)
Lycaste luminosa Oakley 1991 Central America
Lycaste suaveolens Summerh. 1931 Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua 600–1,800 metres (2,000–5,900 ft)
120px Lycaste tricolor Rchb. f. 1863 Costa Rica, Panama 600–1,000 metres (2,000–3,300 ft)
Section Lycaste Lycaste annakamilae Archila, Szlachetko & Chiron 2015 Guatemala (Purulha, Baja Verapaz,) 1,200 metres (3,900 ft)
Lycaste bruncana Bogarín 2007 Costa Rica, Panama 100–400 metres (330–1,310 ft)
120px Lycaste dowiana Endr. & Rchb.f. 1874 Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama 700–1,400 metres (2,300–4,600 ft)
Lycaste fuscina Oakeley 2008 Venezuela, Ecuador
Lycaste guatemalensis Archila 1999 Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador 1,000–1,700 metres (3,300–5,600 ft)
Lycaste leucantha (Klotsch) Lindl. 1851 Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama 600–2,000 metres (2,000–6,600 ft)
120px Lycaste macrophylla (Poepp. & Endl.) Lindl. 1842 Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela 400–2,400 metres (1,300–7,900 ft)
Lycaste measuresiana (B.S.Williams) Oakeley 2007 Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela 1,100–1,600 metres (3,600–5,200 ft)
Lycaste occulta Oakeley 2007 Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador 2,600 metres (8,500 ft)
Lycaste panamanensis (Fowlie) Archila 2002 publ. 2008 Colombia, Costa Rica, Panamá 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)
120px Lycaste powellii Schltr. 1922 Panama, Colombia 50–800 metres (160–2,620 ft)
120px Lycaste puntarenasensis (Fowlie) Oakeley 2007 Costa Rica, Panama 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)
Lycaste sebastianii Archila 2011 Guatemala (Alta Verapaz ) 600–700 metres (2,000–2,300 ft)
Lycaste viridescens (Oakeley) Oakeley 2007 Peru
120px Lycaste virginalis Scheidw.) Linden 1888 Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador 1,200–1,800 metres (3,900–5,900 ft)
Lycaste xanthocheila (Fowlie) Archila 2002 publ. 2008 Guatemala, Costa Rica 800 metres (2,600 ft)
120px Lycaste xytriophora Linden & Rchb. f. 1872 Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia (El Choco) and Ecuador 600–1,800 metres (2,000–5,900 ft)
Lycaste zacapana Archila 2010 Guatemala (Alta Verapaz ) 350–400 metres (1,150–1,310 ft)


Natural hybrids

  • Lycaste × groganii (Lycaste aromatica × Lycaste deppei)
  • Lycaste × michelii (Lycaste cochleata × Lycaste lasioglossa)
  • Lycaste × smeeana (Lycaste deppei × Lycaste skinneri)

Hybrids

  • Angulocaste (Anguloa × Lycaste)
  • Cochlecaste (Cochleanthes × Lycaste)
  • Colaste (Colax × Lycaste)
  • Lycasteria (Bifrenaria × Lycaste)
  • Lycida (Ida × Lycaste)
  • Maxillacaste (Lycaste × Maxillaria)
  • Zygocaste (Lycaste × Zygopetalum)

A 2002 revision of the Lycaste genus moved many species of the section Fimbriatae to a new genus, Ida. The 34 species of Ida occur in South America and the Caribbean Islands (Ida barringtoniae), while true Lycastes occur mostly in Mexico and Central America. The genus Ida is recognized by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons.

References

  1. ↑ "Lycaste virginalis (Scheidw.) Linden". 2017-03-23. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:146328-2. 
  • Data related to Lycaste at Wikispecies
  • Lycaste
  • American Orchid Society culture sheet for Lycaste

Wikidata ☰ Q2319547 entry



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