Coelia macrostachya Lindl. 1842

Inflorescence Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name or Meaning The Large Raceme Coelia

Flower Size About 1/2" [1.5 cm]

Found from Mexico to Costa Rica as a large sized, cool to hot growing epipytic, lithophytic or terrestrial herb with clustered, ovoid to ellipsoid, olive green psudobulbs with up to 5 apical, subplicate, coriaceous, linear-elliptic, acuminate leaves at elevations of 500 to 2500 meters in mountain rainforest, pine-oak, liquambar forest or dwarf forests of higher or exposed elevations where it blooms in the spring and summer with a cylindrical, crowded, 18 to 24" [45 to 60 cm] long, basal raceme arising on a newly emerging psuedobulb with large, scarious, lanceolate to linear lanceolate floral bracts that sheath many, fragrant flowers.

Synonyms Bothriochilus macrostachyus (Lindl.) L.O. Williams 1940

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 8 Salazar 1990; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005