Koellensteinia

Koellensteinia is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is named by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach for the Captain Carl Kellner von Koellenstein, an Austrian military officer and a botanical correspondent of Reichenbach.

Distribution and ecology
The genus contains about 19 species native to South America, Belize, Trinidad and Puerto Rico. Terrestrial or epiphytic plants found in low to mid elevation, hill and mountain forests.

Characteristics
Related to Zygopetalum. Stems short, leafy, usually forming pseudobulbs, 1- to 3-leaved. Leaves petiolate, linear to oblong, narrow, pleated, lightly veined. Inflorescence lateral, erect, slender, branched or unbranched, numerous to few-flowered. Flowers small to medium sized, fragrant, yellow or white, barred magenta, rose or violet and suffused pink on the outside. Sepals and petals subsimilar, free, spreading; lip trilobed with spreading or erect, small side lobes, a larger, broad midlobe that is entire or somewhat bilobed and has a bilobed, erect callus. Column with a conspicuous foot, very short, sometimes winged; pollinia 2 or 4.

Cultivation
Require intermediate conditions, moderate shade, and high humidity. The plants can be grown potted in a free-draining bark mixture and should not be allowed to dry out completely for any length of time.

Species
Currently 11 species are accepted:
 * 1) Koellensteinia carraoensis Garay & Dunst. - Brazil North, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela
 * 2) Koellensteinia dasilvae C.F.Hall & F.Barros - Brazil North
 * 3) Koellensteinia eburnea (Barb.Rodr.) Schltr. - Bolivia, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central
 * 4) Koellensteinia florida (Rchb.f.) Garay - Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast
 * 5) Koellensteinia graminea (Lindl.) Rchb.f. - Trinidad, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela
 * 6) Koellensteinia hyacinthoides Schltr. - Brazil North, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
 * 7) Koellensteinia ionoptera Linden & Rchb.f. - Peru, Ecuador
 * 8) Koellensteinia kellneriana Rchb.f. - Venezuela, French Guiana, Suriname, Colombia, Brazil North, Guyana
 * 9) Koellensteinia lilijae Foldats - Panama, Venezuela
 * 10) Koellensteinia spiralis Gomes Ferreira & L.C.Menezes - Bahia
 * 11) Koellensteinia tricolor (Lindl.) Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers - Belize, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil North