About the Genera

Pleurothallids from A to Z

Click on any of the names below to get more information about the genus, then follow links from that page to photos as they become available.

Many new genera are being created as familiar genera are being split due to DNA studies. In an effort to make some order out of these, the new genera will appear under the old familiar genus name starting with only the most recent splits. The 30 genus names we have grown used to will be on the first level with the new genera appearing on the second level under the old, familiar name.

To help you understand some of what is going on with the DNA studies, you need to understand the term 'monophyletic'. What current taxonomy is striving for is to have all the species within a genus belong to an ancestor and its descendants. In many cases, it is still easy to recognize these groups by their morphological characteristics, in a few cases it is not. In all cases, it should be viewed as a learning experience.

As time permits, there will be "synonym" references to the new genus names for species listed under the old name. The idea is to have it so that the reader can arrive at the detail page from both the old and new names and have as much information as possible about the species. In time, there will also be a complete list of species under each genus name, even if there are not yet any pages, data or photos.

This is an ambitious project and will take some time to catch up with Carl Luer's work in the Icones Pleurothallidinarum. Please bear with me. Any comments should be made to freespirit@pleurothallids.com.

Photo credits are on each photo. Photos may not be used without permission.

Currently recognized genera Genera no longer recognized in pleurothallids

Acostaea Aspegrenia

Barbosella Cryptophoranthus

Barbrodria Cymbidium

Brachionidium Dendrobium

Condylago Enothrea

Draconanthes Epidendrum

Dracula Gigliola

Dresslerella Humboldtia

Dryadella Lothiania

Frondaria Octondrorchis