Dichaea hirtzii Dodson 1993 SECTION Dichaea

Photo by © Orchi and The Wikimedia Website

Another Flower NOT =? Photo by © Mike Grauer and The Orchidstudium Website

Common Name Hirtz's Dichaea [German Engineer, Orchid Enthusiast and Orchid Collector in Ecuador current]

Flower Size .32" [.8cm]

Found in eastern Ecuador at elevations around 200 to 1200 meters as a medium to large sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with pendent, simple to branched stems branching towards the base and carrying distichous, horizontally spreading, not articulate to the sheath, dark green, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, apiculate, upper margin serrate leaves that blooms in summer and winter on a short, single flowered inflorescence carrying flowers that are heavily scented of Vanilla.

This species may be conspecific with D potamophylla Folsom 1994 and if so that name takes precedence.

CAUTION!!!!! I have 2 completely different photos for this species and neither are good matches for Dodson's original drawing. I have a tendency to think that Orchi's photo is more correct but there is no mention by Dodson of the hairy apex to the top of the column and I would think that was a major diagnostic point as it is not common in Dichaea. Grauer's photo is missing the elongate, tongue-shaped infrastigmatic ligule that is hirsute at the apex, as well as the sepals and petals are not the correct shape

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 44 Dodsons 1980 as Dichaea muricata drawing good; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 1 Dodson & Escobar 1993 drawing good; Flora of Ecuador No 87 225[3] Orchidaceae Dodson & Luer 2010 drawing good; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing fide

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