Schlimmia alpina Rchb. f. & Warsz. 1854 Photo courtesy of the Agroriente Orchids Home Page

Another Flower Photo courtesy of David Morris and Clackamas Orchids Home Page

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Common Name The Alpine Schlimmia

Flower Size about 2" [5 cm]

Found from Venezuela to Ecuador and Bolivia as a medium sized, cool to cold growing, caespitose terrestrial with petiolate solitary leaves, found on steep rocky slopes in wet montane forests at elevations of 1000 to 3000 meters with a ovoid-pyriform, sulcate, glossy, dark green pseudobulb somewhat concealed by several sheaths at the base with a single, apical, narrow to broad elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, coriaceous, glossy, light olive green leaf with a channeled petiole that blooms with a pendant, 6" [15 cm] long, racemose inflorescence with inflated, infundibuliform, acuminate floral bracts all arising on a mature pseudobulb with a 4 to 6, medium sized, waxy, very fragrant, inverted flowers occuring in the winter. This species does best in a basket to accomodate the pendant inflorescence and needs a cold ever moist environment and should never be left to dry out.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list IPNI ; *Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1966 as S trifida drawing ok; Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 4 Foldats 1970 as S trifida drawing ok; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 296 Dodson 1980 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 585 Dodson 1982 drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 568 Bennett & Christenson 1998 drawing ok; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing ok; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 drrawing ok;

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