!Rudolfiella aurantiaca [Lindley] Hoehne 1943 Photo courtesy of Danny Lentz ©, plant grown by the Atlanta Botanical Garden

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Common Name The Orange Rudolfiella

Flower Size about 1 1/2" [3.4 cm]

This medium sized, caespitose, epiphytic species is found in Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, the Guyanas and Trinidad in tropical wet forests at elevations of 100 to 600 meters on tree trunks and large branches and is a warm to hot, humid grower needing moderate shade and copious water while growing and then tapering off after the pseudobulbs have achieved maturity. This orchid has sub-orbicular, compressed, rounded edges, pale green, spotted with purple brown, sulcate pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, plicate, green occasionally spotted purple-brown, acute, gradually narrows below into the furrowed, elongate, petiolate base leaf that blooms on a basal, erect to drooping, dark puce, to 8" [20 cm] long, lateral, very lax, several [7 to 15] flowered inflorescence with 2 distant dark grey brown bracts arising on a mature pseudobulb and occurs in the spring in cultivations and fall in nature and holds the flowers just above the leaves.

Synonyms *Bifrenaria aurantiaca Lindley 1836; Lindleyella aurantiaca [Lindley]Schlechter 1914; Maxillaria aurantiaca (Lindl.) A.Rich. & Galeotti 1845; Schlechterella aurantiaca Hoehne 1944

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1896 as Bifrenaria aurantiaca drawing fide; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Bifrenaria aurantiaca; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 4 1970; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 174 Bennett & Christenson 1993; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 4 COS 1992; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004;

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