Sophronitis

"Sophronia" redirects here. For the character from the epic poem Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso, see Sophronia (Jerusalem Delivered). For the genus of moth, see Sophronia (moth).
Sophronitis
Sophronitis cernua
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Laeliinae
Alliance: Cattleya
Genus: Sophronitis
Lindl., 1828
Species

See text.

Sophronitis, abbreviated Soph in horticultural trade, is a former genus of small, epiphytic or lithophytic orchids, growing in the damp montane forest of eastern Brazil, Paraguay and NE Argentina. In January 2008, the International Orchid Committee voted to reduce Sophronitis to synonymy under Cattleya.[1] The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has already moved a hybrid of the rupicolous Laelia that had been renamed Sophronitis esalqueana into the genus Cattleya. Prior to this change, 65 species were recognized.

Sophronitis specimens were widely known for their red flowers, particularly Sophronitis coccinea. Between the time that the Brazilian Laelias were moved to Sophronitis, and the subsequent reduction of Sophronitis to synonymy under Cattleya, the genus was also known for large flowered species such as Sophronitis purpurata.

Description

They have short, ovoid, often densely clustered pseudobulbs along the rhizome, in which grows a single, or rarely two, apical, erect, fleshy, gray-green leaves.

The leaf gives rise to a terminal inflorescence with one to eight flowers. Sometimes this inflorescence is subtended by a spathaceous bract, sometimes erroneously called spathe (spathe is a typical form in some other families such as Araceae and Arecaceae). The flowers have similarly shaped sepals and petals, and can be yellow, pink, lavender, magenta, orange and red.

The trilobed lip has lateral lobes that partially encircle the column. The smaller midlobe has a yellow disc and the spur is adnate to the ovary. The lip often presents some lamellate calli.

Some species are yellow, and almost all species have some shades of orange due to natural variation within the species.

They are used extensively in hybridization to influence the small size and the dark red color of the progeny, such as in the hybrid x Sophrolaeliocattleya (xSlc.) Sophronitis species are quite small, a characteristic that may be conferred to progeny such that they are more compact.

This new classification was created by Van den Berg and M.W. Chase in 2000. In addition to the traditional small, red species, it included all Laelia species from Brazil, based on DNA evidence. The Mexican species still are Laelia.

Synonymy

Brasilaelia Campacci, Chironiella Braem, Dungsia Chiron & V.P.Castro, Hadrolaelia Chiron & V.P.Castro, Hoffmannseggella H.G.Jones, Lophoglottis Raf., Microlaelia Chiron & V.P.Castro, Sophronia Lindl. are synonyms of Sophronitis.

To "reduce confusion" Sophronitis has been reduced to Synonymy under Cattleya[2]

Species

Many of these species used to belong to the genus Laelia.

Sophronitis pfisteri
Sophronitis purpurata
Sophronitis sincorana

Natural hybrids

Doubtful Species

References

  1. ↑ Ron McHatten (2008). "RHS Advisory Panel on Orchid Hybrid Registration (APOHR) Meeting". American orchid Society. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  2. ↑ C. van den Berg "New Combinations in the Genus Cattleya Lindl. (Orchidaceae)" Neodiversity 3 (2008) 3-12.
  3. ↑ Carl Leslie Withner, The Cattleyas and Their Relatives: Schomburgkia, Sophronitis, and Other South American Genera, Timber Press, 1990. p.67
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