Gongora gracilis Jenny 1985 SECTION Gongora

View From Above Photos by © Danny Lentz, plant grown by the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Another Color FlowerPhoto by © Carlos Hajek and his Peruvian Orchid Page

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Common Name The Graceful Gongora

Flower Size 1.2" [2 cm]

This medium sized, hot to cool growing, caespitose, epiphytic species is from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and is found in wet montane forests at an altitude of 100 to 1950 meters with ovoid, ovoid, pyriform, ovoid-oblong, acute angled pseudobulbs partially enveloped basally by 2, scarious, evanescent acuminate sheaths with 2 apical, lanceolate-elliptic, plicate [3 to 5 veins], conduplicate below into the elongate, channeled petiole leaves that blooms in the fall on an arcuate to pendant, 8" [20 cm] long, several to many [10 to 25] flowered, simultaneously opening, racemose inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb with fragrant flowers.

CAUTION!!!!!! Cited as a synonym of Gongora pleiochroma but there seem to be many differnces if both determinations are correct so I will leave them separate at this time.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 060 Bennett & Christenson 1993 drawing fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 37/38 pg 2309 - 2436 Brieger 1999; Guia Ilustrada Para la Clasificacion del Genero Gongora Toulemonde 2001 drawing/photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 71 No 3 2006 photo; Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo fide; Orquideas Tesoro de Colombia Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photos fide;

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