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Cycnoches page

SUBFAMILY Epidendroideae TRIBE Cymbidieae SUBTRIBE Catasetinae

Cychnoches is a genus with 23 species spread throughout most of tropical America. This genus as a whole has long slender pseudobulbs with several internodes that have thin, veined deciduous leaves with an inflorescence that starts from the apical nodes and gives rise to unisexual flowers with both sexes sometimes on the same spike but not hermaphroditic flowers. Many more male flowers are produced than female with the main diference being that the male flowers have a longer column with a spring loaded pollina that can be ejected onto a pollinator. The 2 hard, round pollina are connected to an elongated stipe that is in turn connected to a round viscidium. They are lowland epiphytes found from sea level to 600m in humid to moist forests or terrestrials on fallen rotten logs. They like warm conditions as a whole and heavy fertilizer and water after the new lead is 2-3 " tall through it's flowering in the fall, then no water or fertilizer until the lead shows again in the spring. Many growers actually take the plant out of the pot and cut away all the roots and 2 year old bulbs and then place the naked pseudobulb in a dry lighted area until the new growth is visible. It is then potted up and the new lead is allowed to grow to 2-3" before application of water and fertilizer.

Cycnoches Species List

    The species list below was composed with information from the following sources.

    The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids by Alec Pridgeon. Published by the Timber Press

    The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species By Bechtel, Cribb and Launert, Published by The MIT Press

    Native Colombian Orchids Volumes 1-6 Published by Editorial Colina By the Colombian Orchid Society

    An Introduction to the Orchids Of Mexico By Andrew Wiard Published by Comstock Cornell

    Orchids Of Brazil By Jim & Barbara McQueen Published by Timber Press

    Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica And Panama By Robert L Dressler Published by Comstock Cornell

    Orchids of Guatemala and Belize By Oakes Ames And Donovan Correl Published by Dover

    Species names that are synonyms of correct species names are denoted with a ~.

  1. albidum Kraenzl.

    2. ~amparoanum Schltr. - See C. eggertonianum - Panama

  2. aureum Lindl.&Paxt.
    3. - Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Colombia- Alt 1000m or less - epiphyte - Panama Provincial Distribution Map

    ~barbatum Lindl - See Polycinis barbata

  3. bennettii Dodson
    4. - Peru
  4. brachydactylon Schltr
    5. - Colombia

    ~buchtienii Kraenzl. - See Polycinis muscifera

  5. chlorochilon Klotzsch
    6. - Panama, Colombia, Guianas and Venezuela - Alt up to 1000m - Panama Provincial Distribution Map
  6. cooperi Rolfe
    7. - Peru

    ~cucullata Lindl. - See C. loddigesii

    ~densiflorum Rolfe - See C. eggertonianum - Colombia

  7. dianae Rchb.f.
    8. - Western Panama - Alt below 2000m - epiphyte - Panama Provincial Distribution Map
  8. egertonianum Batem.
    9. - Mexico to Costa Rica and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador- Map of South American Specimens with coordinates
  9. espiritosantense Brade
    10. -

    ~glanduliferum Rich &Galeotti ex Hemsl. - See C. eggertonianum

    ~guttalatum Schltr. - See C. eggertonianum - Nicaragua, Panama and Colombia

  10. haagii Barb. Rodr.
    11. - Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil - Alt up to 500m - Map of South America with Guyana coordinates
  11. herrenhusanum Jenny & Romero
    12. - Colombia and Ecuador - Alt up to 200m
  12. jarae Dodson & Bennett
    13. - Peru - Alt up to 1000m

    ~lehmanni Nichols - See Lueddemannia lehmanni

  13. lehmanni Rchb.f.
    14. - Ecuador - Alt 100-1400m - Map of South American Specimens with coordinates

    ~lindleyi Hort ex Linden - See Luedemannia pescatorei

  14. loddigesii Lindl.
    15. - Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and Brazil
  15. maculatum Lindl.
    16. - S. America

    ~muscifera Lindl.&Paxt. - See Polycinis muscifera

    ~pachydactylon Schltr. - See C. eggertonianum - Nicaragua and Panama

    ~pauciflorum Schltr.

  16. pentadactylon Lindl.
    17. - Peru

    ~var cooperi - See C. cooperi

    ~peruviana Rolfe - See C. eggertonianum

    ~peruvianum - See C. eggertonianum

    ~pescatorei Lindl. - See Lueddemannia pescatorei [Lindl.]Linden. & Rchb.f.

    ~powellii Schltr. - See C. dianae

  17. quatuorcristis Bennett

    18. ~rossianum Rolfe - See C. eggertonianum

    ~stelliferum Lodd. - See C. eggertonianum

  18. stenodactylon Schltr.
    19. - Nicaragua and Panama - Alt 3000-3500m
  19. suarezii Dodson
    20. - Ecuador - Alt 400 to 500m - Map of South American Specimens with coordinates

    ~thurstoniorum Dodson - See C. thurstonorum

  20. thurstonorum Dodson
    21. - Colombia and Ecuador - Alt 450-550m -
  21. *tonduzii Schltr.
    22. - said to be the male flower of warscewiczii
  22. ventricosum Batem.
    23. - Mexico to Panama - Alt 400-800m - epiphyte - Panama Provincial Distribution Map

    ~var chlorochilon Kl. - See C. chlorochilon

    ~var eggertonianum [Batem.]Hkr. - See C. chlorochilon Batem.

    ~var ventricosum - See C. ventricosum

    ~versicolor Rchb.f. - See C. haagi

    ~viride K. Koch - See Clowesia russeliana [HKr.] Dodson

  23. warscewiczii Rchb.f.
    24. - Central Costa Rica to Central Panama - Said to be Chlorochilon but as you can see in the photos it is quite different

    ~warszewiczii Rchb.f.

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