Trichopilia oicophyllax Rchb. f. 1856 Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved.

Another Plant Photo by Tennis Maynard

Another Clone Photo by Patricia Harding

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Common Name The House-Living Trichopilia

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

Found in Costa Rica? Colombia? and Venezuela as a small sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte with ovate to ovate-oblong, strongly compressed, pale yellow green pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, subcoriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, light green, acute leaf that blooms on a short to 6 1/5" [16 cm] long, arching to pendant few [4] flowered inflorescence occuring in the spring.

A main differnce between this and other species [especially T rostrata] is the prescence of a central keel that begins at the base of the lip and extends forward well beyond the length of the column. The central keel is in turn flanked on either side in the rear by another strong keel which at forst curves away and then back again until it parallels the central keel for about 2 mm stopping below the apex of the column. Between the front ends of these curving side keels and the straight keel begin 2 new straight, shallower keels, one on each side, which parellel the central keel but progress much farther forward. Another differenece is the fact that the lateral sepals are connate only at the base and only very shortly.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1865; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 10 1962 photo ; Flora de Venezuela Volumen XV Part 5 Foldats 1970 drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 32 1977 - 2056 Brieger 1996 drawing/photo ok; Venezuela; Paraiso de Orquideas Romero 1997 photo fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006;

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