Elleanthus cephalotus Garay & H.R.Sweet 1972 SECTION Cephaleleyna
Photo by © Julio Larramendi and The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho and Larramendi 2005
Photo by © The Orchids of Jamaica Gloudon & Tobisch 2005
Common Name The Capitate Elleanthus [refers to the inflorescence being a head of flowers]
Flower Size
Found in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leewards, Trinidad and Tobago and the Windward Islands at elevations of 750 to 2100 meters as a large sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte, lithophyte or terrestrial with an erect to pendent, simple, clustered, stout stems carrying numerous, cauline, erect-spreading, deciduous, sheaths persistent, plicate, narrowly elliptic to lancelate, acuminate leaves that blooms in the winter and spring on a terminal, peduncle stout, 1.2 to 3.6" [3 to 9 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence with imbricate, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate and acuminate, 4 times longer than the ovary floral bracts and the reose purple colored flowers are embedded in mucilage and bracts.
Often confused with E capitatus but it differs mostly in being from central and south America and this one only occurs in the West Indies
" Distinguished by the rather small lip calli situated in the center of the cavity. Similar to E cynarocephala with the same lip calli but the petals are .32 x .06 to .1" [8 x 1.5 to 2.5 mm] and the gynostemmium has a prominent protuberance." Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023
Synonyms Bletia capitata R.Br. 1813; Elleanthus capitatus (R.Br.) Cogn. 1910; Evelyna cephalota (Garay & H.R.Sweet) Dudek & Szlach. 2010;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
W.T.Aiton, Hortus Kew. 5: 206 R Br 1813 as Bletia capitata;
Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856 as Evelyna capitata;
Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI 6: 561 Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Evelyna capitata;
Flora of Jamaica Fawcett & Rendle 1910
Flora of Jamaica Fawcett & Rendle 1910 as Elleanthus capitata drawing ok;
Flore Descriptive des Antilles Francaises H. Stehle 1939 as Elleanthus capitatus drawing good;
Flora Brasilica Vol XII II 13-43 Hoehne 1945 as E cephalophorus = E capitatus;
Native Orchids of Trinidad Schultes 1960 as Elleanthus capitatus drawing fide;
*J. Arnold Arbor. 53: 390 Garay & H R Sweet 1972;
Flora of the Lesser Antilles Garay & Sweet 1974 as E cephalotus
Flora of the Lesser Antilles Garay & Sweet 1974 as E cephalotus drawing fide;
Orquideas de El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 drawing/photo fide;
Catalogo Descriptivo de Las Orquideas Cubanas Acuna 1987 as E capitatus;
The Orchids of Jamaica Gloudin & Tocisch 1995 as Elleanthus capitatus photo fide;
Guatemala Y Sus Orquideas Behar & Tinschert 1998 photo not = E capitatus;
Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000 as E capitatus;
The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 as Elleanthus capitatus photo fide;
An Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014 as E cephalotus;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:335 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 as Evelyna cephalotus drawing fide
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