Habenaria castroi R.González & Cuevas-Figueroa 2004 publ. 2006 SECTION Clypeatae
Photo by X. Cuevas F./Drawing by © González & Cuevas-Figueroa and The Epidendra WebSite
LATE 
EARLY
Common Name Castro's Habenaria [Mexican Orchid Enthusiast current]
Flower Size
Found in Zacatecas state of Mexico in oak forests at elevations around 1470 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with an ellipsoid tuber giving rise to a stem enveloped mostly by foliaceous sheaths and carrying 8, coriaceous, mostly imbricate, erect to adpressed, conduplicate, lanceolate, acute leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on a terminal, erect, cylindrical, lax, to 3.2 to 4.2" [8 to 10.5 cm] long, 11 to 12 flowered inflorescence with erect, conduplicate, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the flowers floral bracts.
Similar to H lactiflora but distinguished by the coriaceous, erect to adpressed leaves that are grey green on the back, flowers extended with the cavity of the galea directed downwards, the anterior lobe of the petals is equal to to slightly longer than the posterior segment, the nectary is a bit shorter than the claviform ovary and the stigmatic processes are both rhombic.
H socorroae also is similar but differs in the arcuate distal portion of the leaves, the dorsal sepal is ovate, obtuse with an apicule and a little bit longer than half the ovary, the anterior lobe of the petals is shorter than the posterior segment and the lateral lobes are rectilinear at the base, acute interlobed breasts, the acute nectary is fusiform in the distal half and is without a lobule and is longer than the narrower ovary that is almost rectilinear when flattened.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Ibugana 12(2): 32-35. González & Cuevas-Figueroa 2004 drawing fide
Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1: 184 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010 drawing fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
