Aspasia principissa Rchb. f. 1852
Photos by Jay Pfahl
LATE 
Common Name The Elegant Aspasia
Flower Size 3" [7.5 cm]
Found in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia in lowland tropical rainforests at elevations of sea level to 500 meters as a medium sized, hot growing epiphyte with oblong-elliptic, laterally compressed pseudobulb subtended by 2 to 3 foliaceous leaf sheaths and has 2 apical subcoriaceous, deciduous, elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, leaves that are conduplicate at the base and blooms in the spring, summer and fall on an axillary, 10" [25 cm] long, few [4 to 6] flowered inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb with nicely fragrant, successively opening flowers.
After flowering a short 1 to 2 month rest is beneficial, resume watering and fertilizer with the onset of new growth and flowers best if given very cramped quarters in a small pot. This species is in flower for various months if given proper culture. This species is often found in conjunction with ants and may benifit by their being present.
Synonyms Aspasia biberiana Rchb. f. 1854; Aspasia epidendroides var. principissa (Rchb. f.) P.H. Allen 1949; Aspasia rousseauae Schltr. 1922; Odontoglossum biberianum (Rchb. f.) Rchb. f. 1864; Odontoglossum principissa (Rchb. f.) Rchb. f. 1864
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR; *Bot. Zeit. (Berlin) 10: 367. 1852; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as A bibriana; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 drawing; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 as A biberiana drawing; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 17: 76. Panama Schlechter 1922 A rousseauae; The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946 as A epidendroides var principissa drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 6 1958 as A epidendroides var princippisa; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 no 1 1970 photo; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Orchid Digest Vol 38 No 2 1974 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 3 1979 as E epidendroides var principissa drawing not = A epidendroides; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 3 1979 photo fide AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 2 1980; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 9 1982 photo fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 801 Hamer 1983 drawing fide; Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide; Native Orchids of Colombia Vol 1 COS 1990 photo fide; Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1503 Mora & Atwood 1993 drawing fide; Native Orchids of Colombia Vol 5 COS 1994 photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 33 - 36 2057 - 2308 Brieger 1997 drawing fide; Fieldiana Biology, Flora Costa Ricensis Family # 39 Orchidaceae, subtribes Maxillariinae and Oncidiinae Atwood & Mora 1999 drawing fide; The Pictoral Encyclopedia of Oncidium Zelenko 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 8 2004; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2005; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 photo fide; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006 as A biberiana; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2006 drawing/photo not = A omissa; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 1 Morales 2009 photo fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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