Catasetum, abbreviated as Ctsm. in horticultural trade, is a genus of showy epiphytic Orchids, family Orchidaceae, subfamily Epidendroideae, tribe Cymbidieae, subtribe Catasetinae, with 166 species, many of which are highly prized in horticulture.
Species of the genus Catasetum occur from Mexico to Argentina, including much of Central America, the West Indies, and South America. The largest number of species is in Brazil.[1]
They have thick, cigar-shaped pseudobulbs which are clustered. The leaves are pleated in the upper part and deciduous. The pseudobulbs become spiny after the leaves have dropped.
The inflorescence is borne on the basis. It consists of very fleshy flowers that are unisexual, which is exceptional for orchids. The colorful male and yellowish-green female flowers are typically situated on different plants. Which type of flower a plant produces is determined by the conditions under which it grows. Male and female flowers are markedly different in size and color. At first, taxonomists even thought they were dealing with different species, a puzzle which Charles Darwin resolved when writing Fertilisation of Orchids.[2][3] There are rare cases in which a single plant in intermediate conditions will produce both male and female flowers.
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