!Aa paleacea [Kunth] Rchb.f 1854
Photos by Dr. Alexey Yakovlev and his Flickr Orchid photo site
Photo courtesy of Carlos Hajek and his Peruvian Orchid Page
Drawing by S Nowak/Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019
Common Name The Straw-Like Aa
Found in Costa Rica, Colombia , Ecuador and Peru of the high Andean meadows at an altitude of 2800 to 4400 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with fasciculate roots, a short to 2" [5 cm] long, erect stem carrying a few, when present, basally clasping, held in a rosette, ovate-lanceolate to ellipic-lanceolate, acute, gradually tapering below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the spring and summer on a lateral from the base, 10" [25 cm] long, completely enveloped by many, alternate, tubular, acuminate sheaths, densely many flowered inflorescence with the many inverted hood shaped flowers surrounding the top third. The successively opening flowers open white and glabrous but brown in a few days creating a brownish lower flower portion with the apex becoming gradually whiter. The floral bracts are ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, much longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying thin, small flowers.
This species is the type species for the genus. Distinguished by the elongate floral bracts that are recurved at midpiont and the glabrous peduncle, ovary and sepals. Sometimes a few hairs can be observed, especially in the basal part fo the sepals. Aa paleacea is similar to Aa riobambae but it has petals with a crenulate margin which are erose-denticulate in Aa paleacea.
Synonyms Altensteinia paleacea (Kunth) Kunth 1822; *Ophrys paleacea Kunth 1806
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 334 HBK 1816 as Ophrys paleacea
Syn. Pl. Aequin. 1: 325 Kunth 1822 as Altensteinia paleacea
* Xenia Orchidaceae 1: 18 Rchb.f 1854 drawing;
Orchids of Peru, Vol 1: 101 Charles Schweinfurth 1958 as Altenstenia paleacea;
Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Prima Parte Foldats 1969 as Altensteinia paleacea drawing good;
Flora of Ecuador No 9 225[1] Garay 1978 drawing ok;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids vol. 1 Dodson 1994 drawing fide;
Native Orchids of Colombia Vol 1 COS 1991;
Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 40 pg 2492 - 2564 Brieger 2000;
Genera Orchidacearum Orchidoideae Part 2 Vanilloideae Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase and Rasmussen 2003 drawing ok;
Flora Of Ecuador # 76 225[2] Dodson & Luer 2005;
Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide;
Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 1 Morales 2009 photo fide;
Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing fide
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 2: 20 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019 drawing fide
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 2: 413 pl 1-2 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019 photos fide
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