!Hexisea bidentata Lindley 1834 Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl © .

Flower Closeup Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt.

to

Common Name Bidentate Hexisea

Flower Size to 1" [2.2 cm]

The distinguishing characteristic between this species and Hexisea imbricata is color on the lip. This species has a purple to maroon spot on the lip while H. imbricata has a yellow area around the callus. The stigma is enclosed by column outgrowths in this species while in H. imbricata it is not. Found from Costa Rica , Panama, Colombia Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil in low gallery forests at elevations below 1500 meters as a miniature sized epiphyte that has 3 to 4 segmented, with hairs at each segmental joint, narrowly elliptic psuedobulbs arising out of the apex of the bottom larger narrowly elliptcic psuedobulb and each segment has some root growth arising from the segmental joint and carrying 1 to 2, apical, linear, acute, basally clasping leaves. This species flowers through the summer and they occur on a short to 1 1/2" [3.75 cm] long, sheathed, racemose inflorescence with a few flowers arising from the apex of the uppermost psuedobulb segment.

Synonyms Scaphyglottis bidentata (Lindl.) Dressler 2002

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 778 Dodson 1982; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 McVaugh 1985; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991;