Telipogon papilio Rchb. f. & Warsz. 1854 Photo by © The Ecuagenera Orchid Website

Another flower not=? Photo by © Eric Hunt

Common Name The Butterfly Telipogon [Refers to the Flowers Shape]

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

A high altitude, miniature to small sized, cool to cold growing epiphytic species that dies back after blooming for a rest till the next growth season so do not throw away until you are sure that it is dead, occuring in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in wet montane cloud forests at elevations around 2800 to 3000 meters with a short stem enveloped completely by distichous, imbricating sheaths carrying narrowly oblong-obovate, acute, apiculate leaves gradually narrowing towards the conduplicate base and the articulation with the leaf sheath that blooms at any time on a slender, erect, 6" [15 cm] long, successively single, to 7 flowered, apically fractiflex inflorescence with ovate, congested, concave, boat-shaped floral bracts.

There seem to be 2 types proffered as this species, the first represented in the second photo above is supported by Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Plate 593 Dodson 1989 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 784 Bennett & Christenson 2001 drawing fide and Orchid Species Of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo fide. The Second type is represented by the first photo above and is supported by Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 595 Dodson 1981 drawing not; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 pg 437 photo close; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 photo not;

As to which type is correct, I cannot say at this time so I have left both types here.

Synonym Telipogon warscewiczii Rchb. f. 1858

References W3 Tropicos,Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 as T papilio drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 10 1957 as T warscewiczii drawing good; Orquideologia Vol 14 No 1 1979 photo fide to the first photo; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 595 Dodson 1981 drawing not; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Plate 593 Dodson 1989 drawing fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 30 1841 - 1904 Brieger 1994 drawing good; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 784 Bennett & Christenson 2001 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 pg 437 photo close; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 photo not; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 2 2006 photo fide; Orchid Species Of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orquideas del Peru Freuler 2010 photo ok; Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #1 2016 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #2 2017 photo fide;

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