Telipogon vargasii C. Schweinf. 1946 Photo by © Eric Hunt

TYPE Drawing TYPE Drawing by © Charles Schweinfurth

Common Name Vargas' Telipogon

Flower Size 1 3/4" [4.5 cm]

Found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia around elevations of 2000 to 2800 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrolithophyte on steep embankments among moss occuring in temperate cloud forests and dies back after blooming and takes a rest until the next growth season so do not throw away until you are sure that it is dead, with a suberect, sometimes branching basally stems enveloped completely by numerous, leaf bearing, distichous sheaths with coriaceous, apiculate, basally conduplicate leaves and blooming in the winter on an erect, short inflorescence arising terminally with 3 to 5 flowers .

This one and T bowmanii are very similar and this one is considered a synonym of the other, but I leave them separate awaiting better references.

Synonyms Telipogon bowmanii Rchb.f 1876

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *AOS Bulletin Vol 15 # 11 1946 drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 596 Dodson 1981 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Orchids of Peru Plate 0185 Dodson & Bennett 1989 as T bowmanii = T bowmanii; Orchid Species Of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo fide as T antisuyensis pg 351 = T vargasii; Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo ok

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