Telipogon papilio Rchb. f. & Warsz. 1854

Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt,

Common Name The Butterfly Telipogon [Refers to the Flowers Shape]

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

A high altitude, miniature to small sized, cool to cold growing epiphytic species that dies back after blooming for a rest till the next growth season so do not throw aeay until you are sure that it is dead, occuring in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in wet montane cloud forests at elevations around 2800 to 3000 meters with a short stem enveloped completely by distichous, imbricating sheaths carrying narrowly oblong-obovate, acute, apiculate leaves gradually narrowing towards the conduplicate base and the articulation with the leaf sheath that blooms at any time on a slender, erect, 6" [15 cm] long, successively single flowered, apically fractiflex inflorescence with ovate, congested, concave, boat-shaped floral bracts.

Synonym Telipogon warscewiczii Rchb. f. 1858

References W3 Tropicos,Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 595 Dodson 1981; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Plate 593 Dodson 1989; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 784 Bennett & Christenson 2001

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