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Orchids
of Mexico
Country: Mexico.
The
family of orchids, one of the most highly evolved of the entire plant
kingdom, comprises over 25,000 individual species, with new discoveries
being made and described every year. As a result of the wide distribution
area, ranging from the Equator to the Artic Circle, from lowland plains
almost up to the snow line in the mountain areas, the species vary greatly:
they may be terrestrial (growing in ground, as opposed to water), epiphytic
(growing above the ground, supported nonparasitically by another plant
of object and deriving nutrients and water from the surroundin air),
lithophytic (growing on the surface of rocks), or even subterranean
(growing beneath the surface of the growing medium).
The
structures of the orchids conforms to two basic models: monopodial or
sympodial. Monopodial orchids are plants that have neither rhizome (modified
stem) nor pseudobulbs, and grow from a single vegetative apex (tip).
Sympodial orchids grow from a number of vegetative apices situated at
varying intervals on the rhizome, which is often much branched. The
rhizome is a creeping stem, sometimes underground, which produces ather
stems, incorrectly called secondary stems, more or less erect, and in
some instances almost abscent.
Orchids
in Mexico
Ancient
Aztec inscriptions tell us how the fruit of the tropical climbing orchid
genus Vanilla was used by early Aztec peoples to flavour a traditional
drink made from cocoa beans.
| Name |
Brassavola Nodosa |
| Subfamily |
Epidendroideae |
| Tribe |
Epidendreae |
| Description |
The
short cylindircal pseudobulb has a single linear, fleshy, stiff
leaf, channeled on the upper surface. The pendulous inflorescence
has a variable number of flowers about 8 cm in diameter, long-lasting
and ranging from pale green to white, the white lip spotted with
purple at the base. |
| Origin |
South
of Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Peru. |
| Flowering |
Generally
winter and spring. |
| Name |
Brassia Verrucosa |
| Subfamily |
Vandoideae
|
| Tribe |
Cymbidieae |
| Description |
Medium-large
plant with ovoid, compressed pseudobulbs, 6-10 cm tall, situated
close together on the rhizome. The two apical leaves, elongated,
elliptic, coriaceous but flexible, are 20-40 cm long. |
| Origin |
Honduras,
Guatemala, Venezuela and Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Spring. |
| Name |
Coelia Bella |
| Subfamily |
Arethuseae |
| Tribe |
Bletiinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
terrestrial species. The pseudobulbs are ovoid-globose, close
together. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, flexible up to 60
cm long. The flowers are white with pink tips. |
| Origin |
Honduras,
Guatemala, and Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Spring
and summer. |
| Name |
Encyclia Maculosa |
| Subfamily |
Epidendreae |
| Tribe |
Laeliinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The pseudobulbs are more or les fusiform, set apart on
the rhizome, tall, coriaceous leaves at the apex, long. The flowers
about 2 cm across, vary in color from pale to dark brown. |
| Origin |
Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Spring
and summer. |
| Name |
Encyclia Mariae |
| Subfamily |
Epidendroideae |
| Tribe |
Epidendreae |
| Description |
Medium-small
plant. The pseudobulbs are ovoid, about 4 cm tall, with 2-3 apical,
grayish-green, alliptic leaves. Long-lasting flowers that are
pale green with showy white lip and are quite big in relation
to the size of the plant. |
| Origin |
Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Summer. |
| Name |
Encyclia Vitellina |
| Subfamily |
Laeliinae |
| Tribe |
Epidendreae |
| Description |
Medium-small
plant. The pseudobulbs are ovoid, 3-5 cm tall, elliptic-lanceolate
leaves. The erect apical inflorescence 1-20-30 cm long is sometimes
branched and is composed of about a dozen flowers. These are elegantly
shaped, showy, long-lasting, and fairly deep orange. |
| Origin |
Mexico,
Costa Rica and Guatemala. |
| Flowering |
Autumn
and winter. |
| Name |
Gongora Truncata |
| Subfamily |
Vandoideae
|
| Tribe |
Cymbidieae |
| Description |
Medium-large
plant. The pseudobulbs are pyriform, fairly grooved, very close
together. The oblanceolate leaves have prominent veins and are
coriaceous. The flowers, about 4 cm in diameter, are straw colored
and purple-spotted. They have a waxy compressed lip. |
| Origin |
Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Spring
and summer. |
| Name |
Laelia Gouldiana |
| Subfamily |
Epidendroideae |
| Tribe |
Epidendreae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant with elongated, pyriform pseudobulbs, about 15 cm tall.
The terminal part of the apical inflorescence, 20 cm in length,
has a group of conspicous, long-lasting purple flowers that open
simultaneously. |
| Origin |
Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Winter |
| Name |
Lemboglossum Cervantesii |
| Subfamily |
Cymbidieae |
| Tribe |
Oncidiinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The flowers, up to 6 per inflorescence, are about 5 cm
in diameter and vary fron white to pink with concentric streaks
on sepals and petals; they are long-lasting though delicate. |
| Origin |
Mexico
and Guatemala. |
| Flowering |
Winter |
| Name |
Lycaste Aromatica |
| Subfamily |
Maxilarieae |
| Tribe |
Lycastinae |
| Description |
Medium-large
plant. The conspicous and long-lasting yellow flowers, 7-10 cm
in diameter, arise singly on stalks, about 15 cm long, which stem
from the base of the pseudobulb. |
| Origin |
Mexico,
Guatemala and Honduras. |
| Flowering |
Spring |
| Name |
Lycaste Deppei |
| Subfamily |
Maxilarieae |
| Tribe |
Lycastinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The basal, upright flower stems, 10-15 cm long, are sheathed
by various imbricate and swollen bracts; they carry a single large,
lon-lasting, waxy flower, the sepals of which vary from green
to yellow with small reddish-orange spots. |
| Origin |
Mexico
and Guatemala. |
| Flowering |
Spring |
| Name |
Mormodes Warscewiczii |
| Subfamily |
Cymbidieae |
| Tribe |
Catasetinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The curved inflorescences, nore than one per pseudobulb,
are 20-30 cm long, sprout successively from the nodes and comprise
many flowers. These vary in size and color. |
| Origin |
From
Mexico to Peru. |
| Flowering |
From
spring to summer. |
| Name |
Nageliella Purpurea |
| Subfamily |
Epindendreae |
| Tribe |
Laeliinae |
| Description |
Medium-small
plant. The apical, erect inflorescence, about 40 cm long, bears
several purple-pink flowers measuring 1.5 cm across and opening
in succession. |
| Origin |
Mexico,
Guatemala and Honduras. |
| Flowering |
Summer. |
| Name |
Odontoglossum Maculatum |
| Subfamily |
Cymbidieae |
| Tribe |
Oncidiinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The inflorescence is basal, upright or pendulous, lax,
sometimes branched, and its length depends on the number of flowers.
The conspicuous, long-lasting flowers, open in succession, have
yellow-brown petals. |
| Origin |
Mexico
and Guatemala. |
| Flowering |
Summer. |
| Name |
Oncidium Ornithorhynchum |
| Subfamily |
Vandoideae
|
| Tribe |
Cymbidieae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The inflorescences, sometimes 2 per pseudobulb, are basal,
curving or pendulous, dense and branched, made up of numerous
long-lasting pink flowers, about 2 cm in diameter. |
| Origin |
Costa
Rica , Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Autumn
and winter |
| Name |
Oncidium Sphacelatum |
| Subfamily |
Vandoideae
|
| Tribe |
Cymbidieae |
| Description |
Large
plant with light, yellowish-green leaves. The inflorescence, generally
one per pseudobulb, erect or curved, dense and branched, may measure
1 meter long. The yellow and brown flowers are long-lasting and
open in quick succession. |
| Origin |
Mexico,
El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. |
| Flowering |
Winter
and spring. |
| Name |
Ornithocephalus Inflexus |
| Subfamily |
Maxillarieae |
| Tribe |
Ornithocephalinae |
| Description |
Small
plant without pseudobulbs and with a very short stem. The axillary
inflorescence, about as long as the leaf, is usually composed
of many small green white flowers that open in swift succession. |
| Origin |
Mexico,
Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras. |
| Flowering |
Winter |
| Name |
Rhyncholaelia Digbyana |
| Subfamily |
Epindendreae |
| Tribe |
Laeliinae |
| Description |
Medium-sized
plant. The entire plant is glaucous. The axillary, erect flower
stem bears a single large, showy, greenish-white flower, long-lasting
and very conspicous, with a greatly enlarged lip, fringed at the
margin. |
| Origin |
Guatemala,
Honduras and Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Spring. |
| Name |
Rossioglossum Grande |
| Subfamily |
Cymbidieae |
| Tribe |
Oncidiinae |
| Description |
Medium-small
plant. Erect inflorescence 20-30cm long, is usually composed of
4 to 5 large, very showy flowers in varying shades of yellow sprinkled
with brown spots. The flower opens in succession and lasta a couple
of weeks. |
| Origin |
Guatemala
and Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Autumn
to spring. |
| Name |
Schomburgkia Superbiens |
| Subfamily |
Epindendreae |
| Tribe |
Laeliinae |
| Description |
Large
plant. The apical, stiff, erect flower stem, more than 1m long,
bears at its tip numerous flowers measuring about 10cm across,
colored purple; the trilobed lip has 5 to 6 longitudinal lamellae. |
| Origin |
Guatemala,
Honduras and Mexico. |
| Flowering |
Winter. |
| Name |
Sobralia Macrantha |
| Subfamily |
Arethuseae |
| Tribe |
Sobraliinae |
| Description |
Large
terrestrial plant without pseudobulbs. The flowers, produced one
ata time from an extremely short apical inflorescence, are big,
not long-lasting, fairly deep purple with a white throat to the
lip. |
| Origin |
From
Mexico to Costa Rica. |
| Flowering |
Spring
to early autumn. |
| Name |
Stanhopea |
| Subfamily |
Cymbidieae |
| Tribe |
Stanhopeinae |
| Description |
Medium-large
plant with a very short rhizome that produces a number of pseudobulbs.
The flowers are generally large and very showy, in shades of cream,
yellow and brown, highly scented but of short duration. |
| Origin |
Tropical
areas from Mexico to Brazil |
| Flowering |
Late
spring to early autumn. |
Ecoturismolatino
thanks: Mrs. María Eugenia León & Guillermo León
Encinas from the "Asociación Mexicana de Orquideología,
A.C."
*
Bibliography:
Fanfani, Alberto & Rossi, Walter. Orchids. Simon & Schuster's.
NY, EEUU. 1998
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