Luisia
Genus of orchids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luisia, commonly known as velvet orchids[3] or 钗子股属 (chai zi gu shu),[4] is a genus of epiphytic or lithophytic orchids in family Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus have flattened roots, long leafy stems, narrow, thick, leathery leaves and short-lived flowers that open sporadically. There are about 54 species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the Western Pacific.[2]
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| Luisia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Illustration of Luisia psyche from Curtis's Botanical Magazine[1] | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Vandeae |
| Subtribe: | Aeridinae |
| Genus: | Luisia Gaudich.[2] |
| Type species | |
| Luisia teretifolia Gaudich. | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Description
Orchids in the genus Luisia are epiphytic or lithophytic, monopodial herbs with long, fibrous stems and thick, more or less flattened roots. A large number of cylinder-shaped, narrow leathery leaves are arranged along the stems. Up to ten resupinate, usually small, fleshy flowers are arranged on a short, thickened flowering stem and open sporadically. Each flower has a short, curved stalk and petals that are longer than the sepals. The labellum is large and fleshy with an upper epichile separated by a groove from the lower concave hypochile. The labellum has a rigid connection to the column.[3][4][5][6]
Taxonomy and naming
The genus Luisia was first formally described in 1829 by Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré and the description was published in Voyage autour du monde fait par ordre du Roi sur les corvettes de S. M. l'Uranie et la Physicienne.[2][7][8] The name Luisia honours Don Luis de Torres who assisted the French expedition at Guam.[8][9]
Distribution
Species list
The following is a list of species of Luisia accepted by the Plants of the World Online as at October 2025:[2]
- Luisia abrahami Vatsala in A.Abraham & P.Vatsala, 1981
- Luisia amesiana Rolfe, 1893
- Luisia antennifera Blume, 1849
- Luisia appressifolia Aver., 2000
- Luisia balakrishnanii S.Misra 2010
- Luisia birchea Blume
- Luisia brachyota H.H.Fu, Liang Ma & S.P.Chen
- Luisia brachystachys (Lindl.) Blume, 1849
- Luisia cantharis Rolfe, 1895
- Luisia celebica Schltr., 1911
- Luisia confusa Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers, 1863
- Luisia cordata Fukuy.
- Luisia cordatilabia Ames & Quisumb. (1933, publ. 1934)
- Luisia curtisii Seidenf., 1997
- Luisia diglipurensis Sanjay Mishra & Jalal
- Luisia filiformis Hook.f., 1890
- Luisia foxworthii Ames, 1908
- Luisia hancockii Rolfe, 1896
- Luisia hoanii Duy, T.V.Tran & V.H.Quach
- Luisia inconspicua (Hook.f.) King & Pantl.
- Luisia jarawana Sanjay Mishra & Jalal
- Luisia javanica J.J.Sm., 1914
- Luisia jonesii J.J.Sm., 1914
- Luisia longispica Z.H.Tsi & S.C.Chen, 1994
- Luisia lui T.C.Hsu & S.W.Chung 2010
- Luisia macrantha Blatt. & McCann, 1932
- Luisia macrotis Rchb.f., 1869
- Luisia magniflora Z.H.Tsi & S.C.Chen, 1994
- Luisia megamalaiana Karupp. & V.Ravich.
- Luisia megasepala Hayata, 1914
- Luisia microptera Rchb.f., 1870
- Luisia morsei Rolfe, 1903
- Luisia occidentalis Lindl. 1853
- Luisia parviflora Aver. 2015
- Luisia platyglossa Rchb.f.
- Luisia primulina C.S.P.Parish & Rchb.f., 1874
- Luisia psyche Rchb.f., 1863
- Luisia ramosii Ames, 1911
- Luisia recurva Seidenf., 1971
- Luisia secunda Seidenf., 1971
- Luisia simaoensis D.P.Ye & H.Jiang
- Luisia sonii (Aver.) Kumar & S.W.Gale
- Luisia taurina J.J.Sm., 1910
- Luisia teres (Thunb.) Blume
- Luisia teretifolia Gaudich.
- Luisia thailandica Seidenf., 1971
- Luisia trichorhiza (Hook.) Blume, 1849
- Luisia tristis (G.Forst.) Hook.f., 1890
- Luisia unguiculata J.J.Sm., 1926
- Luisia verrucosa Kurzweil, Nob.Tanaka & Ormerod
- Luisia volucris Lindl., 1853
- Luisia yunnanensis Jie Huang & D.H.Peng
- Luisia zeylanica Lindl. 1853
- Luisia zollingeri Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers, 1863
Intergeneric hybrids
- x Aeridisia (Aerides x Luisia)
- x Aeridovanisia (Aerides x Luisia x Vanda)
- x Ascogastisia (Ascocentrum x Gastrochilus x Luisia)
- x Debruyneara (Ascocentrum x Luisia x Vanda)
- x Dominyara (Ascocentrum x Luisia x Neofinetia x Rhynchostylis )
- x Gastisia (Gastrochilus x Luisia)
- x Gastisocalpa (Gastrochilus x Luisia x Pomatocalpa)
- x Goffara (Luisia x Rhynchostylis x Vanda)
- x Luascotia (Ascocentrum x Luisia x Neofinetia)
- x Luicentrum (Ascocentrum x Luisia)
- x Luichilus (Luisia x Sarcochilus)
- x Luinetia (Luisia x Neofinetia)
- x Luinopsis (Luisia x Phalaenopsis)
- x Luisanda (Luisia x Vanda)
- x Luistylis (Luisia x Rhynchostylis )
- x Luivanetia (Luisia x Neofinetia x Vanda)
- x Pageara (Ascocentrum x Luisia x Rhynchostylis x Vanda)
- x Papilisia (Papilionanthe x Luisia) One species of Papilionanthe was re-classified as a hybrid with this genus (× Papilisia taiwaniana)
- x Pomatisia (Luisia x Pomatocalpa)
- x Scottara (Aerides x Arachnis x Luisia)
- x Trautara (Doritis x Luisia x Phalaenopsis)