Gongora cassidea Rchb. f. 1864 SUBGENUS Acropera SECTION Cassidea

Photo by T. Kusibab and hisOrchid Webstite

Another flower, not G cassidea or G galeata, another species?

Inflorescence not G cassidea or G galeata, another species?

Plant and Inflorescence not G cassidea or G galeata, another species?Photo by © Milan Vagner

Common Name The Helmut-Shaped Gongora

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

This medium sized, cool to warm growing, epiphytic species is found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica on trees in humid forests at altitudes up to 1800 meters with ovoid-conical, slightly compressed, longitudinally ribbed, light green pseudobulbs carrying 2, apical, plicate, lanceolate to elliptic lanceolate, petiolate, acuminate leaves and blooms in the fall with waxy, fragrant flowers on a basal, to 12" [30 cm] long, pendant, loosely few flowered inflorescence.

THe First photo by Kusibab corresponds exactly to Reichenbach's drawing in Xenia 1896, the other three are of an unknown similar species.

Synonyms Acropera batemanni Lindley 1874; Gongora batemanii Henshall 1845

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1896 drawing; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 811 Dodson 1983; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005

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