Cycnoches

Cymbidieae subtribe Catasetinae. The genus is divided into two sections, sect. Cycnoches [syn.: Eucycnoches] and sect. Heteranthae. In section Cycnoches, the pistillate (“female”) and staminate (“male”) flowers are similar. In section Heteranthae, literal

Caespitose epiphytes with coarse, fleshy roots. Pseudobulbs spindle-shaped, succulent. Leaves several, two-ranked, thin-textured, arching, deciduous. Inflorescences axillary, short-pedunculate racemes from near the pseudobulb apex, the floral bracts inconspicuous. Flowers monoecious, fleshy, not resupinate, the pistillate (female) flowers usually simpler than the staminate (male) flowers; the pistillate flowers usually on short inflorescences and have simple unlobed lips; the staminate flowers often on long, pendent inflorescences and often have complexly lobed and ornamented lips. Sepals and petals free, spreading. Lip simple or complexly divided into multiple lobes and horns. Column with a long foot, sexually dimorphic, the pistillate flowers with short straight columns, the staminate flowers with elongate slender arching column; pollinia 2, notched, on a common elongate, linear stipe and transverse viscidium.

From the Greek kyknos, meaning swan, and auchen, meaning neck, referring to the slender arching columns of the staminate (male) flowers.

A genus of 25 species ranging from Mexico to Bolivia. Common name: Swan Orchid.

1 Lip unlobed without lateral appendages (section Cycnoches). 2 1' Lip with multiple lateral appendages as well as erect horn-like calli (section Heteranthae). 7 2(1) Floral segments spotted or sometimes dark brown. 3 2' Floral segments never spotted, greenish-yellow. 4 3(2) Lip suborbicular, usually pale pinkish-white with fine rose-brown spots; callus of two incurved horns. C. haagii 3' Lip elliptic-lanceolate, white or white with purple spots; sepals and petals variously brown suffused and barred; callus absent. C. loddigesii 4(2') Petals erect, subparallel to the lateral sepals. C. chlorochilon 4' Petals horizontal. 5 5(4') Lateral sepals and petals lying in one plane. C. warscewiczii 5' Lateral sepals and petals reflexed. 6 6(5') Callus tall with the apex tongue-like; lip globose. C. lehmannii 6' Callus prominent but without a tongue-like apex; lip convex but not globose. C. ventricosum 7(1') Sepals and petals spotted. 8 7' Sepals and petals unmarked. 11 8(7) Lip without lateral projections. C. pentadactylon 8' Lip with paired lateral projections. 9 9(8') Lip with five pairs of lateral projections. C. egertonianum 9' Lip with four pairs of lateral projections. 10 10(9') Midlobe of lip triangular-ovate; lateral projections of the lip arching. C. aureum 10' Midlobe of lip oblanceolate; lateral projections of the lip straight, never arching. C. peruvianum 11(7') Sepals and petals brilliant gold. C. herrenhusanum 11' Sepals and petals brown or green. 12 12(11') Sepals and petals green. C. guttulatum 12' Sepals and petals brown. 13 13(12') Lateral lobes of lip divided into five blunt knobby projections. C. bennettii 13' Lateral lobes of lip a single pair of horns. C. cooperi

Allen, P. H. 1952. The swan orchids, a revision of the genus Cycnoches. Orchid J. 1:173-184; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 1. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(6):605-611; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 2. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(7):713-721; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 3. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(8):829-835; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 4. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(9):917-914; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 5. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(10):1051-1055; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 6. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(11):1163-1169; Batchelor, S. R. 1983. Catasetum and Cycnoches, part 7. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(12):1295-1304; Carr, G. F., Jr. 1995. Cycnoches, one hundred sixty-five years of confusion. Privately published by the author; Carr, G. F., Jr. 2000. The Cycnoches ventricosum complex. Orchid Digest 64(1):29-38; Carr, G. F., Jr. and E. A. Christenson 1999. A Colombian Jewel. Orchids 68(6):598-601; Cavestro, W. 1977. The culture of Catasetum, Mormodes and Cycnoches. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 46(7):637-641; Christenson, E. A. 1999. Cycnoches carrii, a new species from Peru. Orchid Digest 63(4):173-175; Gregg, K. B. 1975. The effect of light intensity on sex expression in species of Cycnoches and Catasetum (Orchidaceae). Selbyana 1:101-113; Gregg, K. B. 1976. The interaction of light intensity, plant size and nutrition in sex expression in Cycnoches (Orchidaceae). Selbyana 2:212-223; Gregg, K. B. 1982. Sunlight-enhanced ethylene evolution by developing inflorescences of Catasetum and Cycnoches and its relation to female flower production. Bot. Gaz. 143(4):466-475; Gregg, K. B. 1983. Variation in floral fragrances and morphology: incipient speciation in Cycnoches? Bot. Gaz. 144(4):566-576; Jenny, R. 1995. Cycnoches herrenhusanum Jenny & Romero 1991. Die Orchidee 46(6): Orchideenkartei Seite 817-818; Jenny, R. 1997. Cycnoches herrenhusanum. Orchids 66(7):706-715; Jenny, R. and G. Romero 1991. Cycnoches herrenhusanum, ein neufund aus Kolumbien. Die Orchidee 42(2):68-72; Rolfe, R. A. 1909. A revision of the genus Cycnoches. Orchid Review 17:269-272.