Gongora escobariana Whitten 1991 SUBGENUS Portentosa
TYPE Photo by Mark Whitten
Photos by Danny Lentz, plant grown by the Atlanta Botanical Garden
LATE
Common Name Escobar's Gongora [Gilberto Escobar R Colombian Orchid Nurseryman current]
Flower Size 2.5" [6.25 cm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia as a large sized, cool growing epiphyte occuring at elevations of 1000 to 1200 meters with clustered, ovoid, six sided, olive green pseudobulbs carrying 2 to 3, apical, subsessile to shortly petiolate broadly lanceolate to elliptic, plicate, prominently 7 to 11 veined, acute, slightly undulate leaves that blooms in the late spring on a basal, pendulous, terete, apple green, 24 to 28" [60 to 70 cm] long, to 35 flowered inflorescence with twisted pedicels and ovaries making the fragrant flowers face outwards.
These flowers are huge and heavy, at least twice as heavy as any other Gongora.
Synonyms Gongora garayana R.Rice, Oasis 1(4): 3 (2000
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquideologia Vol 18 #2 1991 drawing/photo fide to Whitten's photo; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991 as G sanderiana photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 errata = G escobariana; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 37/38 pg 2309 - 2436 Brieger 1999 photo fide; Oasis Vol 1 No 4 2000 as G garayana; Orchids Australia Vol 13 No 2 2001 photo as G garayana; Guia Ilustrada Para la Clasificacion del Genero Gongora Toulemonde 2001 drawing/photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 44-45 pg 2763 - 2898 Brieger 2001 as G garayana; Orquideologia Vol 24 #1 2005 photo ok; Australian Orchid Review Vol 68 No 5 2003 photo; Orquideología Vol 26 #2 2009 photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #7 2012 photo fide; Orquideas Tesoro de Colombia Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo/drawing fide; Orquideas Tesoro de Colombia Ortiz & Uribe 2017 as G garayana photo fide;
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