Brassia is a genus of orchids classified in the Oncidiinae subtribe. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (B. caudata) extending into Florida.
The genus was named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator, who collected plants in Africa under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks. Its abbreviation in the horticultural trade is Brs.
Brassia species and its popular hybrids are common in cultivation, and are notable for the characteristic long and spreading tepals (in some clones longer than 50 cm), which lend them the common name "spider orchid".
This epiphytic genus occurs in wet forests from sea level to altitudes under 1500 m, with the Peruvian Andes as its center of diversity. Occurrence is mostly restricted to a certain area, but Brassia caudata can be found over the whole geographic area.
They have large elliptic-oblong pseudobulbs with one or two leaves at the apex, lateral, unbranched many-flowered inflorescences with small floral bracts. The lip is not attached to the column. The pollinarium shows a narrow stipe. There are two distichous, foliaceous sheaths around the base, from which the inflorescence emerges.
Brassia has a very specific method for pollination : it uses entomophily : pollination by insects and in this case specifically by female spider-hunter wasps of the genera Pepsis and Campsomeris. Mistaken by the mimicry of Brassia, the wasp stings the lip, while trying to grasp its prey without any success. By these movements the wasp comes into contact with the pollinarium, that then sticks to its head. By flying to another Brassia flower, this flower gets pollinated.
Species accepted as of May 2014:
Brassia allenii L.O.Williams ex C.Schweinf. - Honduras, PanamaBrassia andina (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase - Colombia, Ecuador, PeruBrassia andreettae (Dodson) Senghas in F.R.R.Schlechter - EcuadorBrassia angusta Lindl. - Venezuela, Guyana, northern BrazilBrassia angustilabia Schltr. - Panama, Brazil (Amazonas)Brassia arachnoidea Barb.Rodr. - Rio de JaneiroBrassia arcuigera Rchb.f. - Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, PeruBrassia aurantiaca (Lindl.) M.W.Chase - Colombia, Venezuela, EcuadorBrassia aurorae D.E.Benn. - PeruBrassia bennettiorum (Dodson) Senghas in F.R.R.Schlechter - PeruBrassia bidens Lindl. - Venezuela, Guyana, northern BrazilBrassia bowmanii (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase - ColombiaBrassia brachypus Rchb.f. - Ecuador, Peru, BoliviaBrassia brevis (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase - Colombia, EcuadorBrassia brunnea Archila - GuatemalaBrassia caudata (L.) Lindl. - Mexico, Central America, Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, northern South AmericaBrassia cauliformis C.Schweinf. - PeruBrassia chloroleuca Barb.Rodr. - Guyana, French Guiana, BrazilBrassia chlorops Endrés & Rchb.f. - Nicaragua, Costa Rica, PanamaBrassia cochleata Knowles & Westc. - northern South AmericaBrassia cyrtopetala Schltr. - ColombiaBrassia diphylla (H.R.Sweet) M.W.Chase - ColombiaBrassia dresslerorum Archila - GuatemalaBrassia ecuadorensis (Garay) M.W.Chase - EcuadorBrassia endresii (Kraenzl.) ined. (syn Solenidium endresii Kraenzl.) - Central AmericaBrassia escobariana Garay - ColombiaBrassia euodes Rchb.f. - Colombia, Ecuador, PeruBrassia farinifera Linden & Rchb.f. - EcuadorBrassia filomenoi Schltr. - PeruBrassia forgetiana Sander - Peru, Brazil, VenezuelaBrassia garayana M.W.Chase - Ecuador, PeruBrassia gireoudiana Rchb.f. & Warsz. - Costa Rica, PanamaBrassia glumacea Lindl. - Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, PeruBrassia glumaceoides M.W.Chase - Colombia, VenezuelaBrassia horichii (I.Bock) M.W.Chase - Costa Rica, PanamaBrassia huebneri Schltr. - French Guiana, BrazilBrassia iguapoana Schltr. - Brazil (Amazonas)Brassia incantans (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase - Colombia, Ecuador, PeruBrassia jipijapensis Dodson & N.H.Williams - Ecuador (Manabí)Brassia keiliana Rchb.f. ex Lindl. - Colombia, Venezuela, GuyanaBrassia koehlerorum Schltr. - PeruBrassia lanceana Lindl. - Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, northern South AmericaBrassia macrostachya Lindl. - Venezuela, GuyanaBrassia maculata R.Br. in W.T.Aiton - Mexico, Central America, Cuba, JamaicaBrassia mendozae (Dodson) Senghas in F.R.R.Schlechter - EcuadorBrassia minutiflora (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase - ColombiaBrassia neglecta Rchb.f. - Guyana, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, PeruBrassia ocanensis Lindl. - Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, PeruBrassia panamensis (Garay) M.W.Chase - PanamaBrassia pascoensis D.E.Benn. & Christenson - PeruBrassia peruviana Poepp. & Endl. - PeruBrassia pozoi (Dodson & N.H.Williams) Senghas in F.R.R.Schlechter - Ecuador, PeruBrassia pumila Lindl. - Guyana, Venezuela, French Guiana, Colombia, Peru, BrazilBrassia rhizomatosa Garay & Dunst - Venezuela, PeruBrassia rolandoi (D.E.Benn. & Christenson) M.W.Chase - PeruBrassia signata Rchb.f - Peru, Bolivia, Oaxaca, GuerreroBrassia suavissima Pupulin & Bogarín - Costa RicaBrassia sulphurea (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase - VenezuelaBrassia thyrsodes Rchb.f. - BoliviaBrassia transamazonica D.E.Benn. & Christenson - PeruBrassia verrucosa Bateman ex Lindl. - Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, BrazilBrassia villosa Lindl. - Guyana, Venezuela, BrazilBrassia wageneri Rchb.f. - Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, PeruBrassia warszewiczii Rchb.f. - Ecuador×Alexanderara (Brassia x Cochlioda x Odontoglossum x Oncidium)×Aliceara (Brassia x Miltonia x Oncidium)×Bakerara (Brassia x Miltonia x Odontoglossum x Oncidium)×Banfieldara (Ada x Brassia x Odontoglossum )×Beallara (Brassia x Cochlioda x Miltonia x Odontoglossum )×Brapasia (Aspasia x Brassia)×Brassada (Ada x Brassia)×Brassidium (Brassia x Oncidium)×Brassioda (Brassia x Cochlioda)×Brassochilus (Brassia x Leochilus)×Brilliandeara (Aspasia x Brassia x Cochlioda x Miltonia x Odontoglossum x Oncidium)×Crawshayara (Aspasia x Brassia x Miltonia x Oncidium)×Degarmoara (Brassia x Miltonia x Odontoglossum )×Derosaara (Aspasia x Brassia x Miltonia x Odontoglossum )×Duggerara (Ada x Brassia x Miltonia)×Eliara (Brassia x Oncidium x Rodriguezia)×Forgetara (Aspasia x Brassia x Miltonia)×Goodaleara (Brassia x Cochlioda x Miltonia x Odontoglossum x Oncidium)×Hamiltonara (Ada x Brassia x Cochlioda x Odontoglossum )×Johnkellyara (Brassia x Leochilus x Oncidium x Rodriguezia)×Maclellanara (Brassia x Odontoglossum x Oncidium)×Miltassia (Brassia x Miltonia)×Norwoodara (Brassia x Miltonia x Oncidium x Rodriguezia)×Odontobrassia (Brassia x Odontoglossum)×Pettitara (Ada x Brassia x Oncidium)×Roccaforteara (Aspasia x Brassia x Cochlioda x Odontoglossum)×Rodrassia (Brassia x Rodriguezia)×Rohriara (Ada x Aspasia x Brassia)×Sanderara (Brassia x Cochlioda x Odontoglossum)×Sauledaara (Aspasia x Brassia x Miltonia x Oncidium x Rodriguezia)×Schafferara (Aspasia x Brassia x Cochlioda x Miltonia x Odontoglossum)×Shiveara (Aspasia x Brassia x Odontoglossum x Oncidium)×Wingfieldara (Aspasia x Brassia x Odontoglossum)
