!Paphinia cristata [Lindley]Lindley 1843

Lip Detail Photos by © Lourens Grobler

to to LATE

Common Name The Combed Paphinia

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

This species is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana 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; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 4 1970;

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------