Hormidium

Most of the species of Hormidium have been transferred to Prosthechea, although others are now classified in Encyclia, Epidendrum, Homalopetalum, and Lepanthes.

In 1841, John Lindley used the name Hormidium for one of the subgenera into which he divided the genus Epidendrum.

[2] In 1883, George Bentham and Joseph Hooker raised Hormidium to a full genus.

[3] They distinguished Hormidium from the other pseudobulbous species of Epidendrum with at least a partially adnate labellum, and specifically mentioned only four species, two of which are now retained in Epidendrum, one which is now placed in Homalopetalum, and one which is now placed in Lepanthes.

Because the genus Encyclia features non-adnate labella, and because the genus Prosthechea features labella which are only partially adnate (and therefore do not quite meet Lindley's criteria for Hormidium), Bentham and Hooker's description is useful: Hormidium is now considered not to be distinct from the genus Prosthechea, of which it is a synonym.