Lockhartia is a genus of epiphytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae (order Asparagales), and the sole genus of the Lockhartia alliance. The genus comprises approximately 30 recognised species of small to medium-sized orchids characterised by their distinctive fan-shaped, distichously imbricate (overlapping, two-ranked) leaf arrangement, which gives the stems a flattened, scaly appearance. The leaves are typically fleshy and folded, clasping the stem so tightly that they resemble the scales of a fish or the interlocking plates of a pine cone — a habit that sets Lockhartia apart at a glance from most other neotropical orchids.
Flowers are small and often yellow, sometimes marked with orange or red, borne on short racemes emerging from the leaf axils. The genus ranges from southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America, with representation in Trinidad. Plants are epiphytes of humid tropical and montane forests, growing on the branches and trunks of trees in areas with high rainfall.
The genus is abbreviated Lhta. in the horticultural trade. With around 30 species spread across a broad Neotropical range, Lockhartia represents a compact but morphologically distinctive lineage within the vast orchid family.
Distribution
Lockhartia occurs from southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America, with an additional presence in Trinidad. Species grow as epiphytes in humid tropical and montane forests across this Neotropical range.
Taxonomy Notes
Lockhartia is the sole genus of the Lockhartia alliance within the family Orchidaceae (order Asparagales). GBIF places it in class Liliopsida, phylum Tracheophyta. No authorship string is returned by GBIF for the genus name itself.
