Acineta Season is Here

Acineta mireyae flowering in April in the Orchid Display House

The petals are lightly spotted with maroon

Removing one petal and one sepal allows a lateral view of the lip

A longitudinal section through the lip

The lip in dorsal view with the column removed

This has been a terrific year for our acinetas. So far, in April and May, we've had at least a half dozen plants in four different species in bud and flower. Most likely it's because last year we moved them to a brighter drier cooler location for the growing season. It's so gratifying to finally see them thriving!

Like other members of the subtribe Stanhopeinae, acinetas are pollinated by fragrance collecting male Euglossine bees. The globose flowers point downward on a pendant raceme like a loose cluster of grapes. The petals and sepals form a hood over the lip and column, creating a tunnel for the bee to enter. The bee scratches at the base of the lip to obtain the liquid fragrance. As he backs out, the sticky base of the pollinarium is applied to his back.

According to Christenson's review of the genus Acineta, in Orchid Digest (2006), the only recorded precise distribution for Acineta mireyae is from the type specimen, collected in Panama. Christenson considered mireyae a synonym of wolteriana.