Jan 23 2025
The orchid family is so diverse, researchers find it helpful to give names to groups of evolutionarily related genera, which makes communication about specific groups of orchids more efficient. In general, the nomenclatural heirearchy is as follows: Family > Subfamily > Tribe > Subtribe > Genus > species. One of the most species rich subtribes in Mexico is the Spiranthiae, with 120 known species in 24 genera. This terrestrial subtribe is particularly species rich in the grasslands and oak-pine forests of southcentral Mexico, from the Eje Volcanico Transversal to the mountains of Oaxaca state. Pollination syndromes are diverse in this subtribe, with hummingbird pollination having evolved multiple times from various types of bee pollination, including sweat bees and bumble bees. Mexican botanist Gerardo Salazar (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) is a world-authority of the systematics and evolution of Spiranthinae.