Catasetum atratum Lindl. 1838
Plant and Inflorescence Photos courtesy of Danny Lentz plant grown by the Atlanta Botanical Garden©
Color Form Photo courtesy of Jean Claude and Elisabeth George
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Common Name The Lusturous Black Catasetum [refers to the spots of black on the sepals and petals]
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
A southern Brazilian species that with fusiform, clustered pseudobulbs that when young are enveloped by papery sheaths that disintigrate over time and caarries to 9, linear-oblancolate, medium green, plicate leaves with three prominent veins that blooms on a male, horizontal to arching, basal, 14" [36 cm] long, several [12 to 15] flowered inflorescence and a pendant rhachis all arising with a new pseudobulb and having fragrant, waxy flowers occurring in the late spring and summer and is a large sized, warm to hot growing epiphyte from subtropical regions requiring light to moderate shade.
Synonyms Catasetum adnatum Steud. 1840; Catasetum mentosum Lemaire 1852-53.; Catasetum pallidum Klotsch 1894
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942; Orchidaceae Brasilensis Pabst & Dungs 1976; Encyclopedia of Cultivated ORchids Hawkes 1985; The World Of Catasetum Holtz 1999
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