Prescottia oligantha [Sw.] Lindley 1840

Plant and Inflorecence Photos by © Eric Hunt and His Orchid Website.

Purple Inflorescence Photo courtesy of Dale and Deni Borders

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Common Name The Sparse-Blooming Prescotia

Flower Size 1/16" [1.6 mm]

Found as a miniature to medium sized, warm to cool growing, inconspicuous terrestrial in Florida, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman, Leewards, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Windwards, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina at elevations of 685 to 2400 meters in deep shade under trees in hammocks or forests with 2 to 3 ovate to suborbicular, acute, shortly petiolate base leaves that blooms on an erect, terminal, glabrous, purpley, slender, 16" [40 cm]] long, densely many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acuminate, concave, spreading floral bracts with up to 50 non-resupinate flowers occuring in February in Florida, March to May in Cuba.

Synonyms Cranichis micrantha Sprengel 1826; *Cranichis oligantha Sw. 1788; Cranichis tenuiflora Griseb. 1866 ; Prescotia filiformis Schlechter 1920; Prescotia gracilis Schlechter 1920; Prescottia micrantha (Spreng.) Lindl. 1836; Prescotia myosurus Rchb.f ex Griseb. 1864; Prescotia panamensis Schlechter 1920; Prescotia polysphaera Schlechter 1920; Prescotia tenuis Lindley 1840; Prescotia viacola Barb Rodr var polyphylla Cogn. 1906; Serapias pumila Vellozo 1827;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Cranichis tenuiflora; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten II Colombia Schlechter 1920 as P filiformis; Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten II Colombia Schlechter 1920 as P gracilis; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 4 Dunsterville & Garay 1966; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969; Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Scweinfurth 1970; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1262 Dodson 1985; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 557 Bennett & Christenson 1998; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 Orchidaceae ANtillanae Nir 2000

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