Acampe (abbreviated Acp in horticultural trade) is a genus of monopodial, epiphytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae, order Asparagales. It belongs to the vandaceous alliance and comprises around eight recognized species distributed across two disjunct ranges: tropical Asia — from India eastward to China and southward through Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines — and tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the surrounding islands of the Indian Ocean including the Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Réunion.
Plants are slow-growing, medium-sized vines that build very large vegetative masses in their natural habitats. The leaves are thick, leathery, and distichous (arranged in two opposite rows along the stem). Flowers are small to medium-sized, fragrant, and yellow, barred with orange or red stripes, borne in racemose inflorescences that may carry few to many blooms. The brittle sepals and petals are similar in appearance. The labellum (lip) is ear-shaped, fringed, and white with red markings at its base, and is either saccate (sac-shaped) or bears a spur. The fleshy column is short and carries two waxy pollinia. The genus name derives from the Greek akampas, meaning "rigid," a reference to the small, inflexible, brittle flowers.
Due to their large vegetative size relative to the modest flower size, Acampe species are rarely cultivated. The genus forms a few intergeneric hybrids, including ×Aracampe (with Arachnis) and ×Vancampe (with Vanda).
Etymology
The genus name Acampe is derived from the Greek word akampas, meaning "rigid" or "inflexible," referring to the small, brittle, and stiff flowers that characterize the genus.
Distribution
Acampe species occur across two main regions: tropical Asia (from India eastward to southern China, south through Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines) and tropical Africa (from Somalia to South Africa), with additional populations in Madagascar and Indian Ocean islands including the Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Réunion.
Ecology
Acampe species are monopodial epiphytes, growing on trees in tropical forest habitats. In nature they form very large vegetative masses. Their fragrant flowers suggest pollinator attraction, and the saccate or spurred labellum is consistent with reward-offering or reward-mimicry pollination strategies typical of vandaceous orchids.
