Stanhopea cirrhata Lindley 1850 SUBGENUS Stanhopeastrum
Photo by Rod Rice
Common Name The Tendril Stanhopea
Flower Size 2 1/4" [6 cm]
Found in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua as a medium sized, hot growing epiphyte in deciduous forests of seasonally dry lowlands at elevations of 100 to 800 meters on trees overhanging slow moving rivers, streams and rills with small pyriform, sulcate, pseudobulbs enveloped by basal bracts with a single, coriaceous, ribbed, gradually narrowing below into the elongate, channeled petiolate base, elliptic leaf that blooms in the fall on a basal, 10" [25 cm] long, pendant, racemose, 2 flowered inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb with several, inflated basal sheaths carrying small fragrant Vicks vapo rub scented flowers for the genus.
This myrmecophilus species is often found in conjunction with ants and may benefit from their presence.
Synonyms Stanhopeastrum cirrhatum (Lindl.) Szlach. 2007.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 9 1962 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin VOl 38 # 7 1969 postage stamp fide; Orchid Digest Vol 38 no 3 1974 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 15 #1 Luer & Escobar 1981; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1179 Dodson 1984 drawing fide; Schlechteriana Vol 4 No 1/2 1993 captioned photo is S avicula in error and the previous photo pg 66 captioned S avicula is the true cirrhata; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1589 Dodson 1993 drawing fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 37/38 pg 2309 - 2436 Brieger 1999 photo fide; Caesiana 21 Stanhopea Part 1 Jenny 2003 photo/drawing fide; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 2 Morales 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #6 2011 pollinia only photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as Stanhopeastrum cirrhatum
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