Maxillaria scandens D.E.Benn. & Christenson 2001

TYPE Drawing by © Pastorelli, Bennett & Christenson

EARLY

Common Name The Scandent Maxillaria

Flower Size .28" [7 mm]

Found in Cusco department of Peru in wet cloud forests in deep sphagnum like moss at elevations around 3400 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing, scrambling terrestrial with a woody, rarely branching stem carrying towards the apex, stiffly erect, lanceolate, acute, concave, subcoriaceous, imbricating leaves that blooms in the early spring on several, bourne simultaneously along the upper leaf axils, subsessile, single flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acute, tubular basally, about 1/2 the length of the ovary floral bract and carrying campanulate, fleshy, dark purple flowers.

Very close to M haemathodes but it has bluish lavender flowers vs purple in M scandens, leaves that are more than twice as long and more than three times wider, as well as wide spreading, the callus is not arranged in distinct warty ridges and the lip apex terminates in a deflexed mucro.

Synonyms Adamanthus simplex (J.T.Atwood) Szlach. & Sitko 2012; Maxillaria simplex J.T.Atwood 2003; Ornithidium scandens (D.E.Benn. & Christenson) M.A.Blanco & Ojeda 2007; Ornithidium simplex (J.T.Atwood) M.A.Blanco & Ojeda 2007

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 707 Bennett & Christenson 2001 drawing fide; Maxillaria An Unfinished Monograph Vol 2 Christenson 2013 drawing fide; LANKESTERIANA 14(1) 2014

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