Bifrenaria stefanae V.P. Castro 1991 Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Plant in situ Salesopolis Brazil, Elevation 300 meters Photo by Jay Pfahl

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Common Name Stefana's Bifrenaria [Stefana Solacolu - Brazilian Orchid Enthusiast 20th cen.]

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

Found in the coastal Atlantic forest, in the southeast area of Brazil in montane rainforests at elevations of 500 to 1200 meters as a small to just medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with conical, four sided, slightly compressed pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, plicate, elliptic, acuminate leaf and blooms in the late summer and early fall in Brazil on a basal, racemose, erect, rigid, to 6" [to 15 cm] long inflorescence.

Similar to B vittelina, this species differs in having the sepals parallel to the column and lip, the wider than long midlobe of the lip and the callus that is close to the midlobe instead of close to the claw of the lip as in B vittelina.

Synonyms Adipe stefanae (V.P.Castro) Senghas 1994

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo good; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen lieferung 29 1777 - 1840 Brieger 1994 as Adipe stephanae photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum Brasilienses I Plate 015 Castro & Campacci 2000 drawing fide; Coletanea de Orquideas Brasileiras 2 Encyclias Campacci 2003;

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