Brassia brachiata Lindley 1842 Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name or Meaning The Branched Brassia

Flower Size 6" to 8"

This species hails from Guatemala to Panama and is considered synonomous with Brassia verrucosa Lindley 1840 but differs in having a loosely, few flowered, weakly 2-ranked, racemose inflorescence arising most often in the spring and summer with a max of 10 but more often 4 to 6 flowers which are 3 times larger than the true verrucosa and do not diminish in size towards the apex. The lip of B brachiata is lobed with the mid-lobe being broadly ovate to almost deltoid. The lip when flattened is spathulate with that conspicuous apical lobe. The flowers are scented but not of black pepper such as B verrucosa.

Synonyms Oncidium brachiatum Rchb.f 1864

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1855; Orchids of Guatemala & Belize Ames & Correll 1985; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 4 2003 photo; Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium, Bakers 2006;

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