Catasetum longifolium Lindl. 1839

Flowers Closer Photo courtesy of Katia Seagull and Her Orchid Web Site

Common Name or Meaning The Long Leafed Catasetum

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in French Guiana, Guyana, Surianm, Venezuela, Peru and Northern Brazil on trees on banks of slow moving rivers and streams at elevations of 100 to 700 meters as a large sized, pendant and hot growing epiphyte with fusiform, cylindrical, slightly compressed, pseudobulbs carrying linear-ligulate, 3 nerved, plicate, acute leaves that blooms in the spring as the new growths arise on a basal, pendent, 10 to 15" [20 to 30 cm] long, to 20 flowered inflorescence arising on a just maturing pseudobulb with mostly male flowers but the basal few may be female with the ones inbetween being hermaphroditic

Synonyms Monachanthus longifolius (Lindl.) Lindl. 1840

References Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Refugium Botanicum Reichenbach 1869 drawing fide; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VI Hoehne 1942 drawings fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 drawing fide; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 4 1970 drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela ; An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 1 1980 photo; The Orchids of Surinam Werkhoven 1986 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 photo; The World of Catasetum Holst 1999 drawing good/photo fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 drawing ok; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orquideas del Peru Freuler 2010 photo fide

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