Cranichis is a genus of terrestrial orchids in the family Orchidaceae, order Asparagales. First described by Olof Swartz in 1788 (Prodromus Descriptionum Vegetabilium Indiae Occidentalis, p. 120), the genus was later treated in the standard reference work Genera Orchidacearum (Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase & Rasmussen, 2003).
The genus comprises roughly 50 accepted species (GBIF's backbone lists 107 names in total once synonyms are included). Cranichis species are native to the Neotropics, with a range spanning Mexico, Central America (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica), the West Indies (Cuba, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic), and South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands, Bolivia, French Guiana, Argentina's northwest, and multiple regions of Brazil. One species, C. muscosa, extends the genus's range north into Florida, making it the only member found in the continental United States.
As terrestrial orchids native to a wide range of Neotropical habitats, Cranichis species are part of the diverse Orchidaceae family, one of the largest families of flowering plants.
Distribution
Cranichis is native to the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico, Central America and the West Indies through much of South America (including Colombia, Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands, Bolivia, French Guiana, Brazil and northwestern Argentina). One species, C. muscosa, extends the genus's range into Florida.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was described by Olof Swartz in 1788 (Prodromus Descriptionum Vegetabilium Indiae Occidentalis, p. 120) and placed in the orchid family Orchidaceae, order Asparagales. It was later treated in Genera Orchidacearum volume 3 (Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase & Rasmussen, 2003).
