Elleanthus capitatus (Poepp. & Endl.) Rchb.f. 1862 Photo courtesy of Weyman Bussey

THROUGH

Common Name The Head Elleanthus

Flower Size [2/5" [1 cm]

Growing alongside Sobralia macrantha near La Esperanza. The flower head is over 4" across. This species has a wide range from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leewards, Trinidad and Tobago and the Windward Islands in cloud and elfin forests at elevations of 40 to 3800 meters as a large sized, clumping, hot to cold growing epiphyte or litho-terrestrial with thick roots and stout stems enveloped basally by tubular sheaths that become basally clasping, long acuminate, distichous, alternate, plicate leaves that become bractlike apically on the stem and blooms in the spring through fall on a terminal, short, enveloped by membranceous sheaths, many flowered, capitate or subcapitate, racemose inflorescence with an apical head of flowers that are covered in a glutinous material.

Synonyms Bletia capitata R.Br. in W.T.Aiton 1813; Elleanthus casapensis (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862; Elleanthus cephalophorus (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862; Elleanthus cynarocephalus (Rchb. f.) Rchb. f. 1862; Epidendrum capitatum Sessé & Moc. 1894; Evelyna capitata Poepp. & Endl. 1836; Evelyna casapensis Rchb.f. 1852; Evelyna cephalophora Rchb.f. 1852; *Evelyna cynarocephala Rchb. f. 1856

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 4 Dunsterville & Garay 1966; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 as Elleanthus capitatus; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000 as Elleanthus capitatus; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 672 Dodson 1982; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2002 as E capitatus