Ponthieva

Ponthieva , is a genus of plants belonging to the family Orchidaceae.

Distribution

This genus occurs from the southern states of the USA to Mexico, the Caribbean and tropical America. They are mainly terrestrial plants with sympodial growth, but some are epiphytes.

Description

Their fibrous root show long and soft hairs. Some of the branches are thickened. The simple stem grows from rhizomes and carries thin, basal leaves with a slight to a somewhat longer stalk. The few to many, erect flowers grow on bracteate peduncles in a terminal raceme. Their dorsal sepal is slightly joined to the petals at the apex. The petals are free or sometimes fused to lower flanks of the column. The lateral sepals are distinct or joined.

The clawed lip is fused to the base of the short column. This is semiterete, i.e in the form of a cylinder, rounded on one side and flat on the other. It is slightly winged towards the pointed apex.

There are four, yellow, club-shaped pollinia that are joined in pairs.

Culture

Grow under shade. Plant grows in cool to cold temperatures and should be water regularly year round and reduced after flowering. Keep potting media moist. Pot with 70% fine to medium grade perlite or clay and 30% soil or peat, or in fine bark with leaf litter.

Naming

The genus was named Henri de Ponthieu, a French merchant who sent West Indian plant collections to Sir Joseph Banks in 1778. It is also commonly called the Shadow Witch.

Species

• Ponthieva andicola Rchb.f. (1876) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva appendiculata Schltr. (1915) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva bicornuta C.Schweinf. (1951) (Peru)
• Ponthieva brenesii Schltr. (1923) (Costa Rica, Panama)
• Ponthieva brittoniae Ames (1910) : Britton’s Shadow Witch (Florida, Bahamas, Cuba)
• Ponthieva campestris (Liebm.) Garay (1995) (Mexico)
• Ponthieva collantesii D.E.Benn. & Christenson (1998) (Peru)
• Ponthieva cornuta Rchb.f. (1876) (Bolivia)
• Ponthieva curvilabia Garay (1978) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva cuyujana Dodson & Hirtz (1989) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva diptera Linden & Rchb.f. (1854) : Two-winged Ponthieva (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva disema Schltr. (1915) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva dunstervillei Foldats (1968) (Venezuela)
• Ponthieva ekmanii Mansf. (1929) (Haiti)
• Ponthieva elegans (Kraenzl.) Schltr. (1912) (Bolivia)
• Ponthieva ephippium Rchb.f. (1857) (Mexico, Guatemala)
• Ponthieva formosa Schltr. (1923) (Mexico, Central America)
• Ponthieva garayana Dodson & R.Vásquez (1989) (Bolivia)
• Ponthieva gimana Dodson (2003) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva gracilis Renz (1948) (Colombia)
• Ponthieva haitiensis Mansf. (1926) (Haiti)
• Ponthieva hameri Dressler (1998) (El Salvador)
• Ponthieva hassleri Schltr. (1920) (Paraguay)
• Ponthieva hildae R.González & Soltero (1991) (Mexico)
• Ponthieva inaudita Rchb.f. (1876) : UnheardPonthieva (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva insularis Dressler (2005) (Galapagos Islands)
• Ponthieva keraia Garay & Dunst. (1976) (Venezuela, Ecuador)
• Ponthieva lilacina C.Schweinf., (1941) (Peru)
• Ponthieva maculata Lindl. (1845) : SpottedPonthieva (Venezuela, Ecuador)
• Ponthieva mandonii Rchb.f. (1878) (Peru to NW Argentina)
• Ponthieva microglossa Schltr. (1920) (Colombia)
• Ponthieva nigricans Schltr. (1917) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva oligoneura Schltr. (1921) (Peru)
• Ponthieva ovatilabia C.Schweinf. (1961) (Venezuela, Guyana)
• Ponthieva parvilabris (Lindl.) Rchb.f. (1878) : Small-lippedPonthieva (Venezuela, Ecuador)
• Ponthieva parvula Schltr. (1912) (Mexico, Guatemala)
• Ponthieva pauciflora (Sw.) Fawc. & Rendle (1910) (Caribbean)
• Ponthieva petiolata Lindl., Bot. Reg. 9: t. 760 (1824) (Lesser Antiles)
• Ponthieva phaenoleuca (Barb.Rodr.) Cogn. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.) (1895) (Brazil)
• Ponthieva pilosissima (Senghas) Dodson (1996) : HairyPonthieva (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva poitaei Rchb.f. ex Nir (2000) (Dominican Republic)
• Ponthieva pseudoracemosa Garay (1978) (Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva pubescens (C.Presl) C.Schweinf. (1970) (Ecuador, Peru, Brazil)
• Ponthieva pulchella Schltr. (1918) (Mexico, Guatemala)
• Ponthieva racemosa (Walter) C.Mohr : Hairy Shadow Witch, RacemosePonthieva (SE USA, Mexico, tropical America)
• Ponthieva rinconii Salazar (2005) (Mexico)
• Ponthieva rostrata Lindl. (1845) (Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva schaffneri (Rchb.f.) E.W.Greenw. (1990) (Mexico, Guatemala)
• Ponthieva similis C.Schweinf. (1941) (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva sprucei Cogn. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.) (1895) (Peru)
• Ponthieva sylvicola Rchb.f. (1876) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva triloba Schltr. (1910) : Three-lobed LipPonthieva (Mexico, El Salvador)
• Ponthieva trilobata (L.O.Williams) L.O.Williams (1972) (Mexico, Guatemala)
• Ponthieva tuerckheimii Schltr. (1906) (Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama)
• Ponthieva tunguraguae Garay (1978) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva unguiculata Ames & C.Schweinf. (1925) (Bolivia)
• Ponthieva vasquezii Dodson (1989) (Bolivia)
• Ponthieva ventricosa (Griseb.) Fawc. & Rendle (1910) : Smooth Shadow Witch (Caribbean)
• Ponthieva venusta Schltr. (1921) (Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva villosa Lindl. in G.Bentham (1845) (Ecuador, Peru)
• Ponthieva viridilimbata Dressler (2005) (Ecuador)
• Ponthieva weberbaueri Schltr. (1921) (Peru)