Maxillaria hirtzii Dodson & Andreetta 1982 - See also Maxillaria augustae-victoriae F. Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1899 Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids, Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved

Another Angle Photo courtesy of Lourens Grobler

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Common Name Hirtz's Maxillaria [Ecuadorian orchid enthusiast current]

Flower Size 6" [15 cm]

Found in Ecuador in very wet montane forests at elevations around 1500 meters as a large sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with a short rhizome, ovate, flattened pseudobulbs enveloped basally by several scarious sheaths with the uppermost being foliaceous and carrying a single apical, narrowly elliptical to ligulate leaf that narrows towards the base to create a sulcate petiole that blooms in the summer and fall on a basal, to 12" [to 30 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb and enveloped completely by imbricating, tubular, inflated sheaths and carrying a non-resupinate flower. Said to be a synonym of Maxillaria augustae-victoriae, but I will leave them separate at this time.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 455 Dodson 1982 drawing ok

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