Barkeria obovata (C. Presl) Christenson 1989
Photos by © Diederick Antoni
to
EARLY
Common Name Obovate Barkeria
Flower Size about 1" [2.2 cm]
Found in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama as an epiphytic species formerly known as Barkeria chinensis, and is commonly found in hot to warm conditions on the west coast of Mexico at elevations between 300 to 800 meters as a small to large sized, hot to warm growing twig-epiphyte with a short rhizome giving rise to erect, fusiform, slightly compressed, 4 to 7 noded pseudobulbs enveloped completely by sheaths and carrying 2 to 7, distichous, narrowly linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, fleshy, somewhat conduplicate below, grey-green, deciduous leaves that are often not present at blooming which is in the winter, on an apical, to 18" [45 cm] long, green-purple, racemose to paniculate, simultaneously many [1 to 70] flowered inflorescence arising on a maturing pseudobulb with narrowly triangular, acuminate, scarious, white floral bracts and carrying flowers that barely open.
It is also found inland in Morelos state and Mr Bussey has found a few plants in Veracruz state near Mata Obscura growing along with Ionopsis.
Synonyms Barkeria chinensis (Lindl. ex Benth.) Thien 1966; Barkeria nonchinensis [Rchb.f]Schlechter 1914; Broughtonia chinensis [Lindley]Ames 1842; Epidendrum chinensis [Lindley] Ames 1924; Epidendrum nonchinense Rchb.f 1876; Laeliopsis chinense Lindley ex Rchb.f 1882; *Oncidium obovatum C. Presl 1827
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR; Reliq. Haenk. 99. 1827 as Oncidium obovatum; Refugium Botanicum Reichenbach 1872 as Epidendrum non-chinense drawing fide; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as B nonchinensis; Das Pflanzanreich Regni Vegetabilis Conspectus Odontoglossum/Oncidium Kranzlin 1922 as Oncidium obovatum; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as Epidendrum chinense; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956 as Epidendrum chinense; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Epidendrum chinense; Orquideas de El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 as B chinensisdrawing/photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 as B chinensis; Orquideas de El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 2 1980 as B chinense photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 2 1980 as B strophinx photo ok; Miniature Orchids Northen 1980 as Barkeria chinensis photo good; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 608 Hamer & Dodson 1982 as B chinensis drawing fide; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 Orchidaceae McVaugh 1985 as B chinense; An Introdution to the orchids of Mexico Wiard 1987 as B chinensisphotos fide; Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide; Orquldea (Méx.). 13(1-2): 195-200. Salazar 1993 drawing/photo fide ; Orchid Digest Vol 57 No 4 1993 drawing fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1504 Atwwod & Mora 1993 drawing ok; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Field Guide to the orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993 as Barkeria chinensis; Orchid Digest Vol 59 No 4 1995; Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 5 1998 as B chinensis; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 5 Withner 1998; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 5 Withner 1998 as B strophinx; Orquideas del Estado de Morelos ORQUÍDEA (MÉX.) VOLUMEN 16 NÚMERO ÚNICO enero 2002 drawing/photo fide;Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 ; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hamel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 6 2004/5 photo; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005; Orchids of Mexico, Hagsater, Soto, Salazar etal 2005 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum Fascile 10 plate 1005 Hagsater & Soto 2008 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 82 #10 2013 photo fide;Guia de Orquideas de Chiapas Carlos Rommel Beutelspacher Baigts 2013 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #9 2017 photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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