Govenia viaria Dressler 2002

TYPE Drawing by © Dressler & Mora and The Epidendra Website

Common Name The Highway Govenia [refers to its being found along the Pan American Highway]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Costa Rica and Panama at elevations of 1700 to 2000 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestria with an ovoid corm enveloped completely by 2 to 3, sheaths and carrying 2, apical, erect, elliptic, acute to acuminate, clasping below leaves that blooms in the summer on a lateral, peduncle 12 to 28" [30 to 70 cm] long, with 1 to 2, tubular bracts, rachis [14 to 20 cm] long, densely several flowered inflorescence with linear to sublinear, acuminate floral bracts and carrying pale yellow flowers with the sepals flushed with brown within, the petals barred with red brown within and the lip basally red brown apically with 5 brown spots.

"This species is distinctive in its small flowers with relatively narrow parts. Though the flowers are basically yellow, this species does not appear to be a member of the G. superba complex. The anther has a subulate beak, rather than a wide, triangular beak as in G. superba and its close allies." Dressler 2002

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Lankesteriana 3: 26, f. 1. Dressler 2002 drawing fide

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