Cranichis mexicana (A.Rich. & Galeotti) Schltr.1918

Plant in situ Mexico Photos by © Carlos Velazco Macias and his Naturaleza del Nuevo Leon WebPage

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Common Name The Mexican Ocampoa

Flower Size 1/4" [6.25 mm]

Found in Michoacan, Mexico, Guerrero, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Queretaro and Chiapas states of Mexico and Guatemala in humus in crevasses and on slopes in pine-oak forests or evergreen cloud forests at elevations of 1700 to 2700 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial or lithophyte with an erect, somewhat robust stem carrying a basal rosette of 2 to 5, spotted to absent at blooming, oblong, elliptic or widely oblanceolate, smaller towards the apex becoming subcauline, acute to obtuse, upside green with a very fine slightly darker reticulation, downside grey green, carinate, margins slightly rippled, narrowing below into the channeled, short petiolate base leaves that blooms in the fall on an erect, to 12" [to 30 cm] long, glabrous to pubescent, cylindrical, densely many flowered inflorescence with tubular, acuminate, sometimes foliaceous bracts and ovate-lanceolate largely acuminate, basally pubescent floral bracts.

I have this one as Cranichis mexicana and also as Ocampoa mexicana [I think this is the only listing that I have in more than one spot], Kew has it as a Ponthieva but I just don't see it, I just can't bring myself to place it. Hagsater went with the unique genus Ocampoa as it was the easiest route. Sorry I will make a call some day.

Synonyms *Ocampoa mexicana A.Rich. & Galeotti 1845; Ponthieva mexicana (A.Rich. & Galeotti) Salazar 2009

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Guatemala and Belize Ames and Correll 1985; Icones Orchidacearum 10 Plate 1055 Hagsater & Soto 2008 as Ocampoa mexicana drawing fide

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