Aa schickendanzii

Aa schickendanzii is a terrestrial orchid in the family Orchidaceae, order Asparagales, belonging to the Andean genus Aa. The species epithet schickendanzii honors an individual named Schickendanz — likely a botanical collector or specialist associated with orchid or Andean plant studies during the nineteenth century — reflecting the tradition of naming plant species in recognition of contributors to botany. Aa schickendanzii grows as a compact herbaceous perennial in the high-altitude grasslands of the Andes, inhabiting the puna and páramo ecosystems that occur across the western spine of South America from Venezuela south to Argentina. Like all members of genus Aa, the plant produces a basal rosette of firm, elliptic to lance-shaped leaves adapted to the cold temperatures, intense UV radiation, and variable precipitation of Andean montane habitats. From this leaf rosette, an erect, slender flowering stem emerges and bears a dense raceme of small, bilaterally symmetrical flowers. The flowers of Aa schickendanzii, as in all orchids, feature three sepals, two lateral petals, a differentiated lip, and a fused reproductive column — a distinctive floral plan that reflects millions of years of coevolution between orchids and their pollinators. In the high Andes, potential pollinators of Aa orchids include small bees, flies, and other insects adapted to cold montane environments. Aa schickendanzii likely occurs in Bolivia or northwestern Argentina based on known distributions of closely related Aa species. The long-term survival of this orchid depends on the conservation of intact Andean grassland ecosystems and the soil fungal communities that support orchid seedling establishment.