Barkeria shoemakeri Halb. 1975 Photo courtesy of Weyman Bussey

Another flower Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl

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Common Name Shoemaker's Barkeria

Flower Size 3/4" [1.6 cm]

From Michoacan, Guerrero and Oaxaca states of Mexico at elvations around sea level to 620 meters along dry creek beds as a deciduous leafed, mini-miniature to medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with slim, fusiform, 4 to 7 noded pseudobulbs enveloped white, scarious, close fitting sheaths and carrying 2 to 6, acending-erect to arcuate, distichous, lanceolate, acuminate, basally round and clasping, very fleshy, purple spotted beneath often strongly conduplicate leaves that blooms on an apical, rarely racemose to often paniculate, 2 to 4 branched, laxly [3 to 40] several to many flowered inflorescence with successive opening flowers occuring in the mid-winter. This species is the same as most Barkeria, needs to be mounted on a branch or twig and given ample water, fertilizer and bright light through the spring and summer and then needs a cooler dry period in the winter.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchid Diget Vol 44 No 2 1980 photo; Miniature Orchids Northen 1980; Miniature Orchids McQueen 1980; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 5 Withner 1998;

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