Stanhopea nigroviolacea Morren ex Beer 1854 SUBGENUS Stanhopea SECTION Saccata

Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding

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Common Name The Black Purple Stanhopea

Flower Size to 7" [18 cm]

A medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte occuring on the easterrn slopes of the Mexican plateau at elevations of 1200 to 2000 meters with ovate, strongly ribbed and furrowed with age pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, plicate, lanceolate, acute, gradually narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms on a pendant, to 8" [to 20 cm] long, one to two flowered inflorescence subtended by large, chartaceous bracts and carrying 2 to 3 heavily fragrant [vanilla] flowers occuring in the summer and fall.

Many authorities put this one as a variety of S tigrina, I keep it separate only because they are found in cultivation named such much more often.

Synonyms Stanhopea tigrina var. nigroviolacea Morren 1845

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 as S tigrina var nigrviolacea; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 9 1997 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea photo fide; Orchids Australia Vol 10 No 3 1998 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 12 1999 photo; Orchids Australia Vol 13 No 2 2001 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 6 2002 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 7 2003 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 1 2004 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 5 2004 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea photo fide; Caesiana Vol 22 Stanhopea Part 2 Jenny 2004 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 10 2006 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 70 #1 2006 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 #5 2008 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 6 2008 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 #7 2008 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #10 2010 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #4 2011 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #9 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 82 #10 2013 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #7 2016 as S tigrina var nigroviolacea photo fide;

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