Cleistes bella Rchb.f. & Warm. 1881 C bella group Photo by © The Laboritorio de Biologia Molecular Biosystematica de Plantas Website

Common Name The Beautiful Cleistes

Flower Size 5" [12.5 cm]

Found in Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais in rocky grasslands at elevations around 800 meters as a small to large sized, warm growing terrestrial orchid with a robust, sinuous, dusty-glaucous, leafy stem carrying large, patent to erect patent, flat to longitudinally concave, green-red, ovate to oblong-ovate, acuminate, amplexicaul below into the base leaves that blooms 3 to 5, axillary, 1.6 to 2" [4 to 5 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence carrying a large, fragrant flower.

Synonyms Pogonia bella Rchb.f. & Warm. 1881

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Brasilica Vol VII 1 1-12 Hoehne 1940 drawing fide; Orchidaceae Brasiliensis Band 1 Pabst & Dungs 1975 drawing ok?; Orchids of the Brazilian Central Plateau Menezes 2004 photo fide;

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