Myrmecophila humboldtii [Rchb.f] Rolfe 1917 SUBGENUS Chaunoschomburgkia
Photos courtesy of Jay Pfahl
Drawing by Dunsterville & Garay
LATE
EARLIER 
Common Name Humboldt's Myrmecophila [German Naturalist late 1700 to early 1800's]
Flower Size 2 1/2 to 3" [6.25 to 7.5 cm]
Found in La Guajira department of Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba and the rest of the Netherland Antillies at elevations of 300 to 4000 meters as a medium sized, hot growing species with clavate, slightly compressed pseudobulbs carrying 2 to 3 rigid, narrowly oblong, obtuse leaves that blooms in the winter through earlier spring on an apical, 3 to 4' [90 to 120 cm] long, racemose or paniculate inflorescence with fragrant, long-lasting flowers arising on a mature pseudobulb that has many successive opening flowers with only 3 or 4 open at a time all congregated at the apex of the elongate inflorescence.
They are best grown on wood mounts, some direct sunlight and ample fertilizer while growing and
This species is often found in conjunction with ants and may benefit from their presence.
Synonyms Bletia humboldtii Rchb.f 1861; *Epidendrum humboldtii Rchb.f 1849; Laelia humboldtii [Rchb.f]L.O.Wms. 1941; Schomburgkia humboldtii [Rchb.f]Rchb.f 1856; Schomburgkia humboldtii var breviscapa Jones 1972
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Linnaea 22: 836 Rchb.f 1850 as Epidendrum humboldtii;
Bonplandia 1: 19 Rchb.f 1854 as Epidendrum humboldtii;
Bonplandia (Hannover) 4: 328 Rchb.f 1856 as Schomburgkia humboldtii;
Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 430 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia humboldtii
Xenia Orchidaceae 1: 159 Rchb.f 1854 as Epidendrum humboldtii drawing fide;
Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2: 58 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia humboldtii;
* Orchid Rev. 25: 51 Rolfe 1917;
Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Schomburgkia humboldtii drawing fide;
Darwiniana 5: 77 L O Williams 1941 as Laelia humboldtii;
Venezuelan Orchids Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959 as Schomburgkia humboldtia drawing fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 1 1963;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Laelia humboldtii;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as Schomburgkia humboldtia drawing fide;
Orquideologia 7: 11 H G Jones 1972 as Schomburgkia humboldtii var breviscapa
Orquideologia Vol 12 3/4 1977/8 as Schomburgkia humboldtii;
Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Schomburgkia humboldtii drawing fide;
Cattleyas and Their Relatives Withner Vol 3 1990 as Schomburgkia humboldtii photos fide;
Venezuela; Paraiso de Orquideas Romero 1997 as Schomburgkia humboldtii photo fide;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 2 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 8 2004 as Schomburgkia humboltii;
AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #7 2010 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #9 2016 photo fide;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV: 485 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 photo fide;
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