Bifrenaria tyrianthina (Loudon) Rchb. f. 1858

Another Color Form

Photos by © Eric Hunt

FragrancePart SunCoolSpring and EARLYSummer

Common Name The Purple Blooming Bifrenaria

Flower Size up to 3 1/2" [to 8.75 cm]

Found in Bahia, Espirito Santo and Minas Gerais States of Brazil at elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters, in an area with a distinct winter dry season as a cool growing epiphyte or lithophyte with broadly ovoid-pyriform, angled, deeply sulcate pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, elliptic-oblong, suberect, subacute or obtuse, thin-textured, plicate leaf that blooms in the spring and early summer on a basal, racemose, 4" [7.5 cm] long, erect, rigid inflorescence with 1 to 4, fragrant, fleshy, long-lasting flowers arising on a mature pseudobulb.

This species although similar to B harrisoniae is differentiated by it's long spur that is twice as long as the column and the narrow stipe.

Synonyms Bifrenaria dallemagnei R.H. Torr. 1893; Bifrenaria magnicalcarata [Hoehne Pabst 1976; Bifrenaria tyriantha var. magnicalcarata Hoehne. 1950; *Lycaste tyrianthina Loudon 1850; Maxillaria tyrianthina hort. ex W. Baxter 1850;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as B trianthina; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953 drawing fide; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953 as B tyrinathina var albescens drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 drawing good; Orchidaceae Brasilense Pabst & Dungs 1975; Orchidaceae Braziliense Band II Pabst & Dungs 1977 as B thyrianthina sic drawing fide; Orchidaceae Braziliense Band II Pabst & Dungs 1977 as B magnicalcarata drawing fide; Orchidaceae Braziliense Band II Pabst & Dungs 1977 drawing fide; Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen lieferung 29 1777 - 1840 Brieger 1994 as B thyrianthina drawing/photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen lieferung 29 1777 - 1840 Brieger 1994 as B harrisonii var albescens; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen lieferung 29 1777 - 1840 Brieger 1994 as B harrisonii var magnicalcarata; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Icones Orchidacearum Brasilienses I Plate 017 Castro & Campacci 2000 drawing ok to the first photo; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glenn 2001; Coletanea de Orquideas Brasileiras 2 Encyclias Campacci 2003; Orquideas Da Chapada Diamantina Brito & Cribb 2005; Australian Orchid Review Vol 73 No 2 2008 photo; Orchidees du Bresil, As Orquideas da Serra do Castelo Espirito Santo Brasil Vol 4 Chiron & Bolsanello 2014 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #6 2017 drawing fide;

Bifrenaria tyrianthina var. magnicalcarata Hoehne 1953 Photo by © Patricia Harding

A variety of the previous species

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953 drawing fide

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------