Ponthieva diptera Lindl. & Rchb. f. 1854 Diptera group
Photos by Andreas Kay
Drawing by Mutis
Drawing by Fawcett & Rendle 1909
Drawing by Oledrzynska Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020
Comparison Drawing between P elata, P diptera and P garayana
Drawing by Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020
Common Name or Meaning The Two-Winged Ponthieva
Flower Size 1/2" at largest [1.25 cm]
Found in Antioquia, Risaralda, Valle de Cauca, Magdalena, Santander, Boyaca, and Cundianmarca departments of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Cusco department of Peru in cloud forests at elevations around 1000 to 3000 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial orchid with 4 to 8 basal, rosulate, vthinly membraneous, boadly oblong to ovate-elliptic, acute to acuminate, gradually narrowing below into the elongate, margin slightly undulate, cuneate, petiolate base leaves and a much smaller, subsessile, cauline leaf above, that blooms at most any time of the year on an erect, terminal, peduncle to 28 to 34.8" [70 to 87 cm] long, very sparsely pilose below more dense above, provided with 3 distant, tubular sheathing bracts the lowest foliaceous, rachis, 3.2" to 5" [8 to 25 cm] long, loosely to densely, several to many [8 to 25] flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, glandular pubescent, shorter below to just as long as the ovary above floral bracts and carrying scented flowers.
Easily distinguished by the presence of the obliquely ovate-ellitpic, petals which are basally elongate into the long, narrowly ligulate, blunt and somewhat twisted auricle as well as by the narrow thick lip adorned with 2 digitate projections at the base and unequally 3 dentate apex.
Similar to P elata but it has a non-twisted auricle of the petal and lip and with a single, acute, upcurved horn near the apex of the lip and unlobed calli at the base calli.
CAUTION!!! The determinations of this group [P diptera, P garayana, P tuerckheimii] are very difficult to work with photos as there are just not enough angles of the flowers to get the lip and petals exactly right, see comparison drawing above
Synonyms Ponthieva dicliptera Rchb. f. 1886; Ponthieva harrisii Cogn. 1909
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bonplandia 2: 278 Rchb.f 1854;
Flora 69: 548 Rchb.f 1886 as Ponthieva dicliptera
Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI fasc 2: 362 Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as P harrisii;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 6: 304 Schlechter 1909 as Ponthieva harrisii
Flora of Jamaica: 38 Fawcett & Rendle 1910 as P harrisii drawing fide; https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/23232#page/195/mode/1up"> Flora of Jamaica: Plate 5 fig 7 - 10 Fawcett & Rendle 1910 as P harrisii drawing fide;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 drawing hmm;
Flora of Ecuador No 9 225[1] Garay 1978;
Native Colombian Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991 as P elata photo fide;
Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000;
Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 photo fide;
The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 photo fide;
Of Men and Orchids Part 1 Jenny 2015 photo not = Pterichis sp;
Orquideas de Farallones de Cali Galindo-Tarazona, Haelterman, Zuluaga Trochez and Sebastian Moreno 2020 photo fide
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 3: 104 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020 drawing fide
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 3: Plate 111 - 122 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020 photos fide
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