~Govenia mutica Rchb.f. 1852 - See Govenia alba A.Rich. & Galeotti 1845 Photo courtesy of Johnson Bridgewater

Common Name The White Govenia

Flower Size 2/5" [1 cm]

Found Mexico south to Guatemala and El Salvador in humid woods at elevations of 1000 to 1700 meters as a large sized, cool growing terrestrial with a tuberous rhizome giving rise to onion shaped pseudobulbs enveloped by inflated sheaths and carrying 2 apical, plicate leaves and blooms in the summer on an erect, racemose, to 17" [to 48 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence which is enveloped towards the base by purple red, inflated sheaths.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1881 drawing; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 drawing/photo ok;

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