Cymbidium atropurpureum (Lindl.) Rolfe 1903 SECTION Cymbidium Hunt 1970 Photo courtesy of Steve Feldman

Common Name The Black Purple Cymbidium

Flower Size 1.4" to 1.8" [3.5 to 4.5 cm]

Found in Southern Thailand, Central Malaysia, Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines in lowland and lower montane forests at an elevations of sealevel to 1630 meters as a large sized, hot to cool growing terrestrial or lithophyte on vertical rock faces with clustered pseudobulbs enveloped completely by leaf-bearing sheaths and carrying strap shaped, somewhat hard, deeply grooved, very leathery, long leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on an arching to pendulous, 3'4" [1 meter] long, racemose, densely many [7 to 33] flowered inflorescence with closely set flowers that smell of rancid coconut oil.

Synonyms Cymbidium atropurpureum var olivaceum J.J.Sm. 1910; Cymbidium finlaysonianum var atropurpureum [Lindl.] Veitch 1894; *Cymbidium pendulum var. atropurpureum Lindl. 1854; Cymbidium pendulum var. purpureum [Roxb.] W. Wats. 1890;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchid Digest Vol 48 No 3 1984; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994; Orchids of Sumatra Comber 2001; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003; The Genus Cymbidium Du Puy & Cribb 2007

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