Mormodes variabilis Rchb.f 1869 SECTION Mormodes

Flower Closeup Photos by © Jay Pfahl

Another Color Form Photo by Ruth Guillard

Common Name The Variable Mormodes

This species is a large sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte from Ecuador in wet montane forests at elevations of 900 to 1200 meters with conical to fusiform, fleshy, several noded pseudobulbs subtended by several, scarious, foliaceous sheaths that entirely envelop the pseudobulb and have linear, plicate, thin, deciduous, basally clasping leaves and blooms in the spring on a short to 2' [60 cm] long, few [3 to 9] flowered inflorescence that arises from low to near the middle of a mature, leafless pseudobulb and carrying fragrant flowers.

Synonyms Mormodes holochrysa Rchb. f. 1874

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1870 drawing; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 drawing ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 8 1961 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 15 #2-3 1982 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 463 Dodson 1982 drawing hmm; Orchids from The Coast Of Ecuador Arosemana, Jurado, Estrada and Konanz 1988 photo fide; Colombian Native Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 26 1584 - 1648 Brieger 1992 drawing/photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 as M aff variabilis photo close; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 drawing hmm/photos not; Orquideologia Vol. 23 No 2 2004 photo fide;

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