!Catasetum macrocarpum Rich. ex Kunth 1822 SUBGENUS Catasetum SECTION Catasetum
Photos by © Danny Lentz plant grown by the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Eric Milstrey
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Common Name Monk's Head Orchid or Large-Fruited Catasetum
Flower Size 3" [7.5 cm]
This large sized, hot to cool growing epiphytic plant is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surina, French Guiana, Brazil, Argentina as well as Trinidad from sea-level to 1300 meters with conical-fusiform pseudobulbs enveloped by several leaf bearing sheaths carrying 5 to 7 oblong-lanceolate, acuminate leaves and is allied to Catasetum maculatum as well as Catasetum intergerrinum. It is the type species for the genus and has the common name of the Monk's Head Orchid. They bloom in the late summer and fall on a basal, erect or arching, 1 1/2' [45 cm] long, racemose inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb before leaf fall that has up to 10, fleshy flowers that do not open well and has a fragrance of anise.
The male pollina [see #2 in 2nd photo] can be triggered by anything touching the spur inside the hood [see#1 in 2 nd photo] which then releases the pollina with a large push. The viscidum at the bottom of the stipe which in turn connects to the pollina in Catasetum, is always sticky causing it to adhere to the backs of rummaging insects or fingers of curious growers.
Synonyms Catachaetum claveringii (Lindl.) Hoffmanns. 1842; Catasetum clavingii Lindley ex Van Jeel 1829; Catasetum floribundum Hooker 1825; Catasetum grandis hort. ex Planchon; Catasetum linguiferum Schlechter 1925; Catasetum macrocarpum var amplissimum Planch. 1858; Catasetum macrocarpum var bellum Rchb.f 1886; Catasetum macrocarpum var brevifolium Mutel. 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var carnosissimum Cogn. 1895; Catasetum macrocarpum var chrysanthum Lind & Rodig. 1889; Catasetum macrocarpum var clavingerii Lindl 1832; Catasetum macrocarpum var genuinum Mutel. 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var globoso-connivens Mutel 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var. mechelyncki Mutel 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var. pallidum Mutel 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var. unidentatum Mutel 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var. viridi-purpureum Mutel 1840; Catasetum macrocarpum var. viridi-sanguineum Mutel 1840; Catasetum menthaedorum hort. ex Planchon; Catasetum tricolor Hort. ex Planchon; Catasetum tridentatum Hooker 1824; Catasetum tridentatum var. mechelynckii C.Morren 1835; Catasetum tridentatum var. viridiflorum Hook. 1834; Cypripedium cothurnum Vell. 1831; Monachanthus viridis Lindl. 1835; Paphiopedilum cothurnum (Vell.) Pfitzer 1895
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 photo ok;Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C costatum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 drwaing fide; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var amplissimum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var bellum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var brevifolium; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var carnosissimum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var chrysanthum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var claveringii; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var genuinum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var globo-connivens; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var luteo-purpureum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var luteo-roseum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var mecheilyncki; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var pallidum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var unidentatum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var viridi-purpureum; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as C macrocarpum var viridi-sanguineum; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 29 No 8 1960 photo fide; Native Orchids of Trinidad Schultes 1960; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 # 9 1967; AOS Bulletin VOl 38 No 6 1969; Flora de VenezuelaVolumen XV Part 4 Foldats 1970 drawing fide; Die Orchideen #1 1-4 tafel 1&2 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo ok; Die Orchideen #2 5-8 tafel 3 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo fide; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 as C costatum drawing good; Orchidaceae Brasilensis band 1 Pabst & Dungs 1976; The Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Dunsterville and Garay 1979 as C costatum drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 NO 1 1980 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 NO 1 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 NO 1 1980 as C costatum photo fide; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; The Orchids of Surinam Werkhoven 1986 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 photo fide; Venezuelan Orchids Dunsterville 1987 PHOTO/DRAWING FIDE; Native Orchids of the Eastern Caribbean Kenny 1988; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 1 COS 1990 photo fide; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1992 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 26 1584 - 1648 Brieger 1992 drawing fide; Orchids of the High Mountain Atlantic Rainforest in SE Brazil Warren & Miller 1994 drawing ok/photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Venezuela; Paraiso de Orquideas Romero 1997 photo fide; The World Of Catasetum Holtz 1999 photo ok; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Orquedias Nativas Del Tachira Fernandez 2003 photo fide; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 drawing ok; Orchids of The Brazilian Central Plateua Menezes 2004 photo fide Orquideas Da Chapada Diamantina Brito & Cribb 2005 photo fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 5 Part 2 Pridgeon, Cribb Chase and Rasmussen 2009 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 75 #2 2011 Photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 28 #1 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #8 2011 photo fide; Orquideas de Roirama Luz & Franco 2012 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #4 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #3 2016 as C tridentatum drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #10 2019 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing/photo fide
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