Pollardia semiaptera [Hags] Withner & Harding 2004
Photo courtesy of Dale and Deni Borders
TYPE Drawing by Eric Hagsater
to 
Common Name The Half-Open Pollardia
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Endemic to to Guerrero and Oaxaca states of Mexico in pine oak forest at elevations of 500 to 2500 meters as a small sized, warm to cold growing epiphytic or lithophytic species with ellipsoid to fusiform, slightly compressed pseudobulbs carrying 1 to 3 apical, lanceolate, acute, conduplicate below into the base leaves that blooms in the spring on a apical, arises on a mature pseudobulb, as a new growth emerges, longer than the leaves, racemose, 6" [15 cm] long, several flowered inflorescence.
There are up to 10 small, partialy open, successively opening, resupinate flowers and is similar to Pollardia livida save the partially open flowers, a lip that is as wide between the lateral lobes [when spread] as across the midlobe, the lateral lobes clasp the column and the bifoliate pseudobulbs.
Synonyms *Encyclia semiaperta Hágsater 1984; Epidendrum tripterum Lindl. 1840; Prosthechea semiaptera [Hags] Higgins 1997; Pseudencyclia semiaperta (Hágsater) V.P.Castro & Chiron 2003
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
J. Bot. (Hooker) 3: 83 Lindley 1841 as Epidendrum tripterum; nom. illeg.
ORQUIDEA (Méx.) 9(2): Hagsater 1984 as Encyclia semiaptera drawing/photo fide;
Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 22 Hagsater & Salazar 1990 as Encyclia semiaptera drawing fide;
Phytologia 82: 380 W E Higgins 1997 publ. 1998 as Prosthechea semiaptera;
Richardiana 4: 33 V P Castro & Chiron 2003 as Pseudencylia semiaptera;
*The Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 7 The Debateable Epidendrum Withner & Harding 2004 photo fide;
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