Prosthechea vespa (Vell.) W.E.Higgins First published in Phytologia 82: 381 (1997 publ. 1998
Photo by Patricia Harding
Another Flower? hmm = A crassilabium
Photo by Dalton Holland Baptista
drawing of A. vespa subsp duarte
Drawings by V P Castro
Photo by © E Schnurr
MOSTLY
Common Name The Wasp Prosthechea
Flower Size 1/4" or less [.6 cm or less]
Found in the Atlantic forest of Brazil in lower montane rain forests at elevations of 15 to 1000 meters as a small sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte on larger branches and tree trunks, with a long rhizome and glabrous, white roots and cylindric or spindle shaped, laterally compressed pseudobulbs with a narrowing apex and basally enveloped with imbricating, deciduous sheaths. There are 2 to 3, oblong leaves that blooms on a terminal, 6" [15 cm] long, racemose, few to several flowered inflorescence with triangular, acuminate floral bracts occuring in the Brazilian summer.
Previously this species covered a wide range of plant and flower varieties but with Marcos Campacci's rediscovery of the true A vespa that Vellozo originally described all other forms have been moved to Anacheilium crassilabium or A tigrina. This species can only be kept in Anacheilum as there is no corresponding species name available in Encyclia.
Synonyms Anacheilium vespa [Vell] Pabst, Mountinho & Pinto 1981; Encyclia vespa (Vell.) Dressler 1971; *Epidendrum vespa Vell. 1827[1833]; Prosthechea vespa subsp. triandra (Dod) Nir 2000
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Fl. Flumin. 9: t. 27 Vell 1831 as Epidendrum vespum
Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 as Epidendrum vespum not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Epidendrum vespa;
Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 3 Foldats 1970 drawing not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Phytologia 21: 441 Dressler 1971 as Encyclia vespa;
Orchids of Venezuela; An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Epidendrum vespum drawing not see Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 039 Dodson 1980 as Encyclia vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium drawing ok;
*Bradea 3: 184 Pabst, Moutinho & A V Pinto 1981;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 699 Hamer 1982 as Encyclia vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium drawing fide;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 528 Dodson 1982 as Encyclia vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium drawing fide;
Orchids from The Coast Of Ecuador Arosemana, Jurado, Estrada and Konanz 1988 photo not = Anacheilium crassilabium fide;
Manual of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb, & Launert 1992 as Encyclia vespa photo fide;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1429 Atwood & Mora 1993 drawing not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 039 Bennett & Christeson 1993 as Encyclia vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium drawing fide;
Native Colombian Orchid Vol 1 COS 1990 photo not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Phytologia 82: 381 W E Higgins 1997 publ. 1998 as Prosthechea vespa; ;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 as Prosthechea vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium drawing good;
Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 as Hormidium vespum;
Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 as Prosthechea vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003 as Prosthechea vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Boletim CAOB #54:55 Campacci 2004 as Anacheilium vespa
The Cattleyas and Their Relatives, the Debateable Epidendrum Withner and Harding 2004 photo fide;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 as Prosthechea vespa not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2005 drawing/photo not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Icones Orchidacearum Brasilienses II Plate 189 Castro 2006 as Prosthechea vespa drawing/photo ok;
Icones Orchidacearum Brasilienses II Plate 190 Castro 2006 as Prosthechea vespa subsp duartiana drawing fide;
Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1117 Hagsater 2008 as Prosthechea vespa see recognition section;
Orchid Digest Vol 73 #3 2009;
Orchid Digest Vol 74 #3 2010 as Prosthechea vespa photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 74 #2 2010 photo fide;
Orquideas del Peru Freuler 2010 as Prosthechea vespa photo as Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Orquideas de Roirama Luz & Franco 2012 photo not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Orchids of the Department of Valle de Cauca Colombia Vol 2 Kolanowska, Hagsater etal 2014 as Prosthechea vespa drawing not = Anacheilium crassilabium ;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:378 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 not = Anacheilium crassilabium drawing/photo fide
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