Coelia macrostachya Lindl. 1842

Inflorescence Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name or Meaning The Large Raceme Coelia

Flower Size About 1/2" [1.5 cm]

Found from Mexico to Costa Rica as a large sized, cool to hot growing epipytic, lithophytic or terrestrial herb with clustered, ovoid to ellipsoid, olive green pseudobulbs with up to 5 apical, subplicate, coriaceous, linear-elliptic, acuminate leaves at elevations of 500 to 2500 meters in mountain rainforest, pine-oak, liquambar forest or dwarf forests of higher or exposed elevations where it blooms in the spring and summer with a cylindrical, crowded, 18 to 24" [45 to 60 cm] long, basal raceme arising on a newly emerging pseudobulb with large, scarious, lanceolate to linear lanceolate floral bracts that sheath many, fragrant flowers.

Synonyms Bothriochilus macrostachyus (Lindl.) L.O. Williams 1940

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list IPNI ; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 33. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 5 1963 photo as Bothrochilus macrostachys; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Hamer 1974 as Bothriochilus macrostachys drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 5 1979 as Bothriochilus macrostachys; Las Orquideas De El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 5 1981 drawing Bothriochilus macrostachys; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas # 43-46 Thuniinae etc 1984 photo/drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1002 Hamer & Dodson 1984 as Bothrochilus macrostachys drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 6 1987 drawing; Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 8 Salazar 1990 drawing fide; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005

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