Sophronitis
Sophronitis coccinea from Lindenia Iconographie des Orchidées
Sophronitis , abbreviated Soph in horticultural trade, is a genus of small orchids.
Distribution [ ] Members of the genus are epiphytic or lithophytic orchids, growing in the damp montane forest of eastern Brazil, Paraguay and NE Argentina.
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.
Culture [ ] Plants should be grown in medium fir bark with partial shade to bright light.. Plants grow in intermediate to warm temperatures. Water approximately once a week. Plant can also be mounted on cork with sphagnum moss.
Naming [ ] The genus is named after the small sizes of the plants
Synonyms [ ] Sophronia Lindl.,(1828)
Lophoglotis Raf., (1838).
Hoffmannseggella H.G.Jones, (1968).
Dungsia Chiron & V.P.Castro, (2002).
× Hadrodungsia V.P.Castro & Chiron, (2002).
Hadrolaelia (Schltr.) Chiron & V.P.Castro, (2002).
Microlaelia (Schltr.) Chiron & V.P.Castro, (2002).
Brasilaelia Campacci, (2006) .
Chironiella Braem,(2006). Species [ ]
Sophronitis acuensis Açu Sophronitis (Brazil - Rio de Janeiro).Sophronitis alaorii Alaor's Sophronitis (Brazil - Bahia).Sophronitis alagoensis (Brazil - Alagoas) Sophronitis alvaroana Sophronitis angereri Angerer's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis bahiensis Bahian Sophronitis (Brazil - Bahia).Sophronitis bicolor Bicolored Sophronitis (Brazil - Rio de Janeiro).Sophronitis blumenscheinii Blumenschein's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis bradei Brade's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis brevicaulis Short stemmed Sophronitis (Brazil).Sophronitis brevipedunculata Short-stalked Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis briegeri Brieger's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis caulescens Caulescent Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis cernua Nodding Sophronitis (Brazil to NE. Argentina).
Sophronitis cernua var. alagoensis (Brazil - Alagoas). Pseudobulb epiphyteSophronitis cernua var. cernua (Brazil to NE. Argentina). Pseudobulb epiphyteSophronitis cinnabarina Cinnabar Sophronitis (Brazil - S. Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro).Sophronitis coccinea Scarlet Sophronitis (Brazil to Argentina - Misiones).Sophronitis conceicionensis Sophronitis of Conceição do Mato Dentro (Brazil - Minas Gerais)Sophronitis crispa Crisped Sophronitis (SE. Brazil)Sophronitis crispata Cliff-dwelling Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis dayana Day's Sophronitis (Brazil - S. Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro).Sophronitis duveenii Duveen's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais: Serra do Cipó).Sophronitis endsfeldzii Endsfeldz's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis esalqueana ESALQ's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis fidelensis Saint Fidel's Sophronitis (Brazil - Rio de Janeiro).Sophronitis flavasulina Southern Yellow Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais)Sophronitis fournieri Fournier's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais)Sophronitis ghillanyi Ghilany's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis gloedeniana Gloeden's Sophronitis (Brazil - São Paulo).Sophronitis gracilis Graceful Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais: Serra do Cipó).Sophronitis grandis Grand Sophronitis (Brazil - SE. Bahia to N. Espírito Santo).Sophronitis harpophylla Sickle-leaf Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais to Espírito Santo).Sophronitis hispidula Sophronitis itambana Sophronitis jongheana Jonghe's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis kautskyi Kautsky's Sophronitis (SE. Brazil)Sophronitis kettieana Kettie's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais)Sophronitis liliputana Dwarf Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais: Serra do Ouro Branco).Sophronitis lobata Lobed Sophronitis (SE. Brazil.Sophronitis longipes Long-column Sophronitis (SE. Brazil - Serra do Cipó).Sophronitis lundii Lund's Sophronitis (Bolivia to Argentina - Misiones, Salta).
Sophronitis lundii f. alba (L.C.Menezes) Van den Berg & M.W.ChaseSophronitis mantiqueirae Mantiqueira Sophronitis (SE. Brazil).Sophronitis marcaliana Marçal's Sophronitis (Brazil - Bahia).Sophronitis milleri Miller's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis mixta Mixed Sophronitis (Brazil - Espírito Santo).Sophronitis munchowiana Munchow's Sophronitis (Brazil - Espírito Santo).Sophronitis pabstii Pabst's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais)Sophronitis pendula Hanging Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais)Sophronitis perrinii Perrin's Sophronitis (SE. Brazil)Sophronitis pfisteri Pfister's Sophronitis (Brazil - Bahia).Sophronitis praestans Spectacular Sophronitis (SE. Brazil)Sophronitis pterocarpa Sophronitis pumila Dwarf Sophronitis (SE. & S. Brazil)Sophronitis purpurata Purple-stained Sophronitis (SE. & S. Brazil)Sophronitis pygmaea Sophronitis reginae Regina's Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis sanguiloba Red-lobed Sophronitis (Brazil – Bahia)Sophronitis sincorana Sincorá Sophronitis (Brazil - Bahia).Sophronitis tenebrosa Dark Sophronitis (Brazil - SE. Bahia to Espírito Santo).Sophronitis tereticaulis Twisted-stem Sophronitis (Brazil - Minas Gerais).Sophronitis verboonenii Verboonen's Sophronitis (Brazil - Rio de Janeiro).Sophronitis virens Green-flowered Sophronitis (SE. Brazil)Sophronitis wittigiana Wittig's Sophronitis (Brazil - Espírito Santo).
Sophronitis wittigiana f. candida Roeth & O.Gruss (2005)Sophronitis xanthina Yellow Sophronitis (Brazil - Bahia to Espírito Santo).
Natural Hybrids [ ] Sophronitis × carassana Sophronitis × cipoensis Sophronitis × espirito-santensis Sophronitis × feldmanniana Sophronitis × gerhard-santosii Sophronitis × lilacina Sophronitis × mucugense Sophronitis × raganii Sophronitis × wyattiana Sophronitis × zaslawskii References [ ] 
