Barkeria melanocaulon A. Rich. & Galeotti 1845 Photo courtesy of © Allen Black

Another Flower Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt

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Common Name Dark-Stemmed Barkeria

Flower Size 1 1/4" [3 cm]

This minature sized, hot to warm growing sometimes epiphytic and mostly lithophytic species is found in central Oaxaca state of Mexico in the transition szone between tropical deciduous forests and dry oak forests on limestone boulders or the trees above at elevations of 1600 to 1700 meters and has thickened, compressed, 3 to 8 noded stems enveloped completely by scarious, tubular leafless to leaf-bearing sheaths carrying 3 to 6, articulate to the leaf sheath, elliptic to narrowly ovate, acute, coriaceous to sub fleshy leaves that blooms on a medium length to 15" [17.5 cm] long, laxly few to many flowered, racemose inflorescence arising from a newly developing stem occuring in the summer with nonfragrant flowers. This species and the similar B whartoniana differ mainly in the fact that this species has the column adpressed to the lip surface.

Synonyms Barkeria halbingeri Thein 1973; Epidendrum melanocaulon [A. Rich & Gal.]Rchb. f. 1862

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Miniature Orchids Northen 1980 as both B melanocaulon and B halbingerii; Miniature Orchids McQueen 1980 as Barkeria halbingerii; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1982 as Epidendrum lindleyanum; Icones Orchidacearum 5 & 6 Orchids Of Mexico Parts 2 & 3 Plate 527 Hagsater, Soto 2002; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005