Sarcoglottis sceptrodes (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1920
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Byron Rinke
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo by © Burns-Balogh
Drawing by © Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019
Common Name or Meaning The Sceptre-Like Sarcoglottis
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found from Mexico, San Luis Potosi, Yucatan and Chiapas states of Mexico, Alta Verapaz and Chiquimula, and El progresso departments of Guatemala, Cayo and Orange Walk districts of Belize, Cocatlan department of El Salvador, Olancho department of Honduras, Boaco and Granada departments of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in lower rainforests, in secondary forests along roadsides, cleared moist areas, lower cloud forests, on bare soil on ant-hills and on limestone cliffs at elevations of sealevel to 1000 meters as a large sized, hot to warm growing terrestrial or pseudo-lithophyte on rocks in soil deposits above streams with a basal rosette of, 2 to 5, fasciculate, narrowly oblanceolate, ovate elliptic to oblong-elliptic, glabrous below and pubescent above, acute, long-petiolate leaves absent at flowering, that blooms at any time of the year on an erect, terminal, peduncle to 12 to 28" [30 to 70 cm] long, robust to delicate, glandular in the upper half, provided with 6 to 14, longer than the internodes except the uppermost, hyaline margins, glabrous, the uppermost half gladular externally sheathing bracts, rachis 3.2 to 9.8" [8 to 24.5 cm] long, subdense, 4 to 20 flowered inflorescence with oblong-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, thin, basally glandular externally, hyaline margins, acuminate, just shorter to longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying large, apically arcuate, tubular below, green, yellow green, pale green to transluscent yellow, fragrant flowers.
"Easily separated by its undulate, lateral sepals, which in natural position are slightly sigmoid. Its lip is ornamented by conspicuous, diverging, ciliate thickened edges running from the apex of the epichile to its base, the margins of the epichile are more or less crenular and undulate." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019
Synonyms Gyrostachys sceptrodes (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Sarcoglottis purpusiorum Schltr. 1925; Sarcoglottis sceptrodes (Rchb. f.) Schltr.1920; *Spiranthes sceptrodes Rchb. f. 1855
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR;
Bonplandia 3(15/16): 214. 1855 as Spiranthes sceptrodes;
Revis. Gen. Pl. 664. Kuntze 1891 as Gyrostachys sceptrodes;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 21: 333 Schlechter 1925
Las Orquideas de El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing fide;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1152 Dodson 1984 drawing fide;
ORQUIDEA (Méx. ) 10 (1): 68 fig 3 ABRIL 1986 photo fide;
The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo good;
AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #5 2010 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #1 2013 photo fide;
Guia de Orquideas de Chiapas Carlos Rommel Beutelspacher Baigts 2013 photo fide
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia: 292 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia: 293 fig 284 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019 Drawing fide
Flora Mesoamerica Vol 7 Parte 2 Orchidaceae: 77 MBG UNAM 2023 as S corymbosa
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