2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Cycnoches - a genus of herbaceous perennial epiphytic plants belonging to the Orchid family (Latin Orchidaceae). Plants of the genus Tsiknohes are unique members of the Orchid family, as their flowers are divided into male and female. Only in rare cases can the flowers of plants of the genus be hermaphroditic, that is, bisexual, like most orchids.
What's in your name
The Latin name of the genus "Cycnoches" is based on two Greek words, which translated into Russian mean "swan" and "neck". The genus owes this name to the male flowers of plants, or rather, to that part of the flower, which is called "column" by botanists and has a shape similar to a swan's neck.
The only specimen of this genus was brought to Europe from northeastern South America and was described by an orchid expert, John Lindley (John Lindley, 1799 - 1865), who is also the author of the description of plants of the genus Chysis and other members of the Orchid family.
In floriculture literature, the genus name is reduced to three letters, the so-called "abbreviation" of the name, "Cyc".
Description
Plants of the genus Tsiknohes are epiphytic plants that live on trees in warm and humid tropical forests, located at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level.
Plants have fusiform pseudobulbs with several nodes and 3 to 7 pairs of thin vein leaves with sharp ends. New growth of leaves can appear from almost any of the nodes of the pseudobulb. After about six months, they reach maturity and then flowers appear. After flowering, the leaves often fall out and there is a rest period until new growth begins.
Hanging inflorescences are born from the upper nodes of the pseudobulb. The uniqueness of the inflorescences of the genus Tsiknohes lies in the fact that they are formed by separate male and female flowers, and only occasionally there are hermaphroditic, intermediate flowers, like in other types of orchids.
Determining the sex of a flower is very simple. The column of the male flower is thin, long and curved, like the neck of a swan, which was the name of the genus. At the tip of such a column, polylines are clearly visible. The feminine column is relatively short and has hook-like, curved structures on each side. The stigma is located inside the column.
Generally, there are two types of male flowers. The first type, called "Cycnoches", when the appearance of male and female flowers is generally similar, but different in the structure of the columns. The second type, called "Heteranthae", when the male flowers are radically different from the female flowers. If in the second type, the female flowers are the same as in the first type, only, as a rule, they are slightly smaller in size, then the male flowers are small and have a disc-shaped lip with projections or "fingers" in the amount of 5 to 14 pieces.
Flowers of the genus Tsiknohes are pollinated by bees, which they lure with a pleasant, strong aroma.
Varieties
The genus consists of 8 (eight) plant species of the first type, that is, "Cycnoches", and approximately 25-28 plant species of the second type, that is, "Heteranthae". As of July 2009, the World Monocot checklist contained 39 species of the genus.
* Cycnoches loddigesii is the type species of the genus.
In addition, the following species of the genus Tsiknohes are popular in floriculture:
* Cycnoches chlorochilon
* Cycnoches haagii
* Cycnoches pentadactylon
* Cycnoches barthiorum.
Growing conditions
Plants of the genus Tsiknohes, being epiphytic plants of humid and warm tropics, require standard conditions for tropical orchids: warmth, humidity, high illumination. Humidity should not be confused with dampness, which can cause various types of rot. Also, plants can be affected by spider mites.
