Chysis tricostata Schlechter 1923 Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt

Another Plant Photo courtesy of Daniel Jimenez

Common Name or Meaning The Three Ribbed Chysis [refers to the three keels on the lip]

Flower Size 1 3/4" [4.1 cm]

Found in Nicaragua and Costa Rica in wet cloud forests at elevations around 1360 meters as a medium sized, pendant, warm growing epiphyte with fusiform, elongate psewudobulbs mostly enveloped by tubular sheaths with the apical few being leaf bearing and carrying plicate, basally clasping, elliptic leaves and blooms in the spring on a basal, pendant, racemose, 5 to 10 flowered, 8" [20 cm] long inflorescence arising on a newly forming pseudobulb with showy, fragrant flowers

The defining difference between this species and T aurea is that this one has 3 calli on the lip instead of 5.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 136. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 1 1970; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1007 Hamer 1984 drawing fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995 as syn of C laevis.; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2001; Encyclopedia of Cultivateed Orchids Hawkes 1987 as synonym of C laevis; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005

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