!Paphinia cristata [Lindley]Lindley 1843

TYPE for genus

Lip Detail Photos by © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name The Combed Paphinia

Flower Size 3 to 4" [7.5 to 10 cm]

This species is found in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana in wet forests as a medium sized, warm to hot growing epiphyte occuring at lower elevations around 200 to 1000 meters with tufted, elongate-ovoid, sulcate, slightly compressed pseudobulbs carrying 2 apical, membraneous, soft, broadly lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acute, plicate leaves and blooms in the autumn to early winter and late spring on a basal, pendant, 4 to 8 " [10 to 20 cm] long, bracteate, 2 to 3 flowered inflorescence arising as a new growth appears and carrying large, showy flowers. Best grown in small hanging net pots so as to accomodate the pendant and sometimes down driven inflorescence. They like warm even watering while in growth and a gradual lessing, but never allowed to dry out completely, after the plant has flowered until the new growth arrives.

Synonyms Lycaste cristata [Lindley]Benth. 1885; Lycaste cristata var modigliana Nichols 1888; Lycaste randii (L.Linden & Rodigas) Nichols. 1886; *Maxillaria cristata Lindley 1835; Paphinia cristata var modigliana Rchb.f 1888; Paphinia cristata var randii Linden & Rodig 1885; Paphinia modigliana Hort. 1888; Paphinia randii Linden & Rodig 1885;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII Hoehne 1953; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 1 1958 drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 5 1958 drawing; Native Orchids of Trinidad Schultes 1960; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 4 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 1 1979 photo; Orchids of Venezuela ; An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide' The Orchids of Surinam Werkhoven 1986; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 photo; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Orchids of Bolivia plate 0362 Dodson & Vasquez 1989 drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991 photo not = P posadarum; ; AOS Bulletin Vol 64 No 4 1995 Photo; Venezuela; Paraiso de Orquideas Romero 1997 photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 errata = P posadarum; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo fide

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