IOSPE PHOTOS

Malaxis parthoni C.Morren 1839 SECTION Umbellatae SERIES Umbellatae

Inflorescence Comparison between M parthonii and M excavata

Flower Comparison between M parthonii and M excavata

Photos by © Luiz Felipe Varella and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website

Photo by © Ricardo Luis Penz and his Orchid Website

Common Name Parthon's Malaxis [French Orchid Enthusiast 1800's]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Magdalena and Valle de Cauca departments of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Argentina in tropical forests at elevations of 1900 to 2900 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with a stout, bulbous thickening at base stem enveloped below by several, loose, tubular, imbricating sheaths with the uppermost being larger and leaf bearing and carrying 2, near the middle of the stem, subopposite, ovate to oval to orbicular-ovate, abruptly acute to acuminate, spreading, elongate petiolate base leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, to 15.2" [38 cm] long, abbreviated raceme, subumbellate, densely many flowered inflorescence.

Often given as a synonym of M histonantha but this is the Central American species and differs from the type from Brazil by having a much broader and differently shaped lip and different sepals. Most likely the range of M parthoni is just in South America. [McVaugh]

Synonyms Malaxis argentinensis L.O.Williams 1939; Malaxis disepala (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Microstylis disepala Rchb.f. 1854; Microstylis ovatilabia Schltr. 1920; Microstylis parthoni (C.Morren) Rchb.f. 1861

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI

* Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 5: 485 Morren 1839

Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 5: 485 Morren 1839 drawing fide;

Linnaea 26: 142 Rchb.f 1854 as Microstylis disepala;

Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 206 Rchb.f 1861 as Microstylis parthoni;

Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 673 Kuntze 1891 as M disepala;

Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 16: 330 Schlechter 1920 as Microstylis ovatilabia;

Lilloa 4: 364 L O Williams 1939 as M argentinensis;

Orchids of Guatemala, Ames & Correll 1952;

The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946;

Orchids of Peru Vol 3 Schweinfurth 1959;

Flora de Venezuela Vol 11 Parte 1 Foldats 1969 as M disepala;