Psychopsis is a genus of four known species of orchids native to northern South America, Central America and Trinidad.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesPridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2009). Epidendroideae (Part two). Genera Orchidacearum 5: 1-585. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford. The genus name is abbreviated Pyp. in the horticultural trade.Alphabetical List of Standard Abbreviations for Natural and Hybrid Generic Names, Royal Horticultural Society, 2017. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-registration-forms/orchid-name-abbreviations-list.pdf
Description Psychopsis are epiphytic orchids with laterally crushed cylindrical pseudobulbs from which two fleshy coriaceous leaves appear apically, in their center two floral wands emerge with large golden yellow flowers with purple spots on bands in sepals and on the lip whose edges are forming folds.
Psychopsis very often grows on the trunks and branches of trees. The flowers look like large butterflies with brightly colored bodies (the lip, a modified petal), very long antennae-like petals, and outspread wing-like dappled yellow and brown sepals.
The butterfly orchid is rumored to have started the European "Orchidmania" of the 19th century.
Very little is known about pollination in Psychopsis. Despite that the flowers are commonly likened to butterflies, they are probably pollinated by some type of bee, not butterflies.
Taxonomy Psychopsis was formerly included in the massively paraphyletic "wastebin genus" Oncidium within the section Glanduligera, named after the genus's distinctive oil-secreting glands. Orchids in this genus are commonly called butterfly orchids, but some species of other orchid genera are also called thus. The species Psychopsiella limminghei was once included in Psychopsis but is now accepted as its own monotypic genus.
Species Species currently accepted as of October 2020: Image Name Distribution Elevation (m) Psychopsis krameriana (Rchb.f.) H.G.Jones Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname 50 - 1300 Psychopsis papilio (Lindl.) H.G.Jones Panama, Trinidad, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil 800 - 1200 Psychopsis sanderae (Rolfe) Lückel & Braem Peru, Brazil 1220 Psychopsis versteegiana (Pulle) Lückel & BraemSuriname, Ecuador 200 - 1200
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