Bifrenaria stefanae V.P. Castro 1991 Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Plant in situ Salesopolis Brazil, Elevation 300 meters Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl

to LATE EARLY

Common Name Stefana's Bifrenaria [Stefana Solacolu - Brazilian Orchid Enthusiast 20th cen.]

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

Found in the coastal Atlantic forest, in the southeast area of Brazil in montane rainforests at elevations of 500 to 1200 meters as a warm to cool growing epiphyte with conical, four sided, slightly compressed pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, plicate, elliptic, acuminate leaf and blooms on a basal, racemose, erect, rigid, to 6" [to 15 cm] long inflorescence that arises in the late summer and early fall in Brazil. Similar to B vittelina, this species differs in having the sepals parrelell to the coulumn and lip, the wider than long midlobe of the lip and the callus that is close to the midlobe instead of close to the claw of the lip as in B vittelina..

Synonyms Adipe stefanae (V.P.Castro) Senghas 1994

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Brasilienses I Castro & Campacci 1991; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993