Saturday, August 6, 2011

Pleurothallis scoparum from Colombia and Ecuador, also known as Colombiana scoparum



I saw this interesting orchid in the garden of Cabañas Armonia, in Mindo, Ecuador.  The host, Alicia Toapanta, told me that the plant had been relocated to this area from some tree which were cut to make a road.  I was quite taken by this unusual Pleurothallid.  In this orchid the inflorescences grow from the tip of the leaf, not as it is most common in this genus from the base of the leaf.  So unusual is this type of flowering that this orchid and similar others were placed in a new genus Colombiana in 2004.   This flower lives in an area where day temperatures are quite pleasant, in the 70 F range, but night temperatures go down into the 40F.  This daily temperature cycle happens all year round with little if any seasonal change.

1 comment: