Prescottia (plant)

Prescottia
Prescottia oligantha
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Subtribe: Cranichidinae
Genus: Prescottia
Lindl.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Decaisnea Brongn. in L.I.Duperrey

Prescottia is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is widespread across much of Latin America and the West Indies, with one species (P. oligantha) extending into Florida.[2][3][4][5]

The name is sometimes misspelled as Prescotia, including in the original generic description.[6] The genus was named for John Prescott, so is to be spelled with a double t per ICN.[7]

As of December 2025, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 25 species:[1]

  • Prescottia auyantepuiensis Carnevali & G.A.Romero
  • Prescottia carnosa C.Schweinf.
  • Prescottia congesta Pupulin
  • Prescottia cordifolia Rchb.f.
  • Prescottia densiflora (Brongn.) Lindl.
  • Prescottia ecuadorensis C.O.Azevedo & Van den Berg
  • Prescottia filiformis Schltr.
  • Prescottia glazioviana Cogn.
  • Prescottia gracilis Schltr.
  • Prescottia lancifolia Lindl.
  • Prescottia leptostachya Lindl.
  • Prescottia lojana Dodson
  • Prescottia montana Barb.Rodr.
  • Prescottia mucugensis C.O.Azevedo & Van den Berg
  • Prescottia nervosa Archila, Szlach. & Chiron
  • Prescottia oligantha (Sw.) Lindl.
  • Prescottia ostenii Pabst
  • Prescottia petiolaris Lindl.
  • Prescottia phleoides Lindl.
  • Prescottia plantaginifolia Lindl. ex Hook.
  • Prescottia polyphylla Porsch
  • Prescottia sibundoyensis S.Nowak, Kolan., Medina Tr. & Szlach.
  • Prescottia smithii Schltr.
  • Prescottia spiranthophylla Barb.Rodr.
  • Prescottia stachyodes (Sw.) Lindl.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Prescottia Lindl". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  2. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ^ Flora of North America, v 26 p 520, Prescottia oligantha (Swartz) Lindley, Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. 454. 1840.
  4. ^ Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2003). Genera Orchidacearum 3: 1-358. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  5. ^ Azevedo, C. & van den Berg, C. (2007). Lectotypifications in Prescottia (Orchidaceae-Orchidoideae). Kew Bulletin 62: 651-655.
  6. ^ Lindley, John in Hooker, William Jackson. 1824. Exotic Flora 2: at plate 115
  7. ^ Flora of North America, v 26 p 519, Prescottia Lindley, Exotic Fl. 2: plate 115. 1824 (as Prescotia).
  • Media related to Prescottia at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Prescottia at Wikispecies