Barkeria melanocaulon A. Rich. & Galeotti 1845 Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt

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Common Name Dark-Stemmed Barkeria

Flower Size 1 1/4" [3 cm]

This miniature sized, hot to warm growing sometimes epiphytic and mostly lithophytic species is found in central Oaxaca state of Mexico in the transition zone between tropical deciduous forests and dry oak forests on limestone boulders or the trees above at elevations of 1600 to 1700 meters and has thickened, compressed, 3 to 8 noded stems enveloped completely by scarious, tubular leafless to leaf-bearing sheaths carrying 3 to 6, articulate to the leaf sheath, elliptic to narrowly ovate, acute, coriaceous to sub-fleshy leaves that blooms in the summer on a medium length to 15" [17.5 cm] long, laxly few to many flowered, racemose inflorescence arising from a newly developing stem carrying nonfragrant flowers.

This species and the similar B whartoniana differ mainly in the fact that this species has the column adpressed to the lip surface.

Synonyms Barkeria halbingeri Thein 1973; Epidendrum melanocaulon [A. Rich & Gal.]Rchb. f. 1862

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Epidendrum lindleyanum; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 as B halbingeri; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 2 1980 photo fide; Miniature Orchids Northen 1980; Miniature Orchids McQueen 1980 as Barkeria halbingerii; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 2 1980 photo fide as B halbingerii; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 6 1987 photo fide; ORQUlDEA (MEX.) 13(1-2). DICIEMBRE 1993 drawing/photo fideCattleya and Their Relatives Vol 5 Withner 1998; Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 5 1998 as B halbingerii; Icones Orchidacearum 5 & 6 Orchids Of Mexico Parts 2 & 3 Plate 527 Hagsater, Soto 2002 drawing fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 6 2004/5 photo; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005; Orchids of Mexico, Hagsater, Soto, Salazar etal 2005 photo fide; Orchids of Tropical America an introduction and guide Meisel 2014 as Barkeria halbingeri photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #9 2017 photo fide;

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