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Family: Orchidaceae
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Caespitose epiphyte; pseudobulbs lacking. Petioles conduplicate, 6-7 cm long, occasionally persisting; leaves moderately thin, elliptic-oblanceolate, acuminate to acute, mostly 12-30 cm long, tapering to petiole, the lowermost bractlike. Inflorescences 1-flowered, arching or somewhat pendulous, bracteate scapes 6-15 cm long, from axils of lowermost bracts; flowers large, with clovelike aroma; sepals white, 3-3.5 cm long, the laterals directed downward, the dorsal erect and recurved; lateral petals similar to dorsal sepal, directed outward; lip to 4.5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, white tinged with violet on margin and with violet lines on face within, the lateral margins incurved around column; column white, shorter than lateral lobe of lip, 12-18 mm high. Fruits not seen. Croat 12711. Apparently rare, occurring in the forest. Seasonality uncertain. It has been reported to flower at the end of the dry season (Powell 11), but has been collected in flower on BCI in late November. An individual plant transplanted to Summit Garden flowered twice, a few weeks apart, early in the dry season (January and February). Allen (1949) reported that the flowers are fragrant during the morning. They are pollinated by the bee Eulaema meriana (R. Dressler, pers. comm.). Known only from Panama, principally from tropical moist forest in the Canal Zone, but also from premontane wet forest in Coclé (El Valle). |
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