Cycnoches aureum Lindl. & Paxton

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Cycnoches

Characteristics

Erect epiphytic herbs with stout or slender, cylindric pseudobulbs of uniform thickness, tapering at the apex, 15-30 cm. tall and 2-6 cm. wide; larger, very robust plants infrequently found growing on decaying wood and differing very considerably in superficial appearance from the more familiar slender type. Leaves 6-10, lanceolate, acuminate,.plicate, ultimately deciduous, the unarmed, persistent, grayish white, papery, sheathing bases tightly enveloping the stems. Inflorescences produced from the upper half of the pseudobulb, usually either all staminate or all pistillate flowers, although mixed scapes are infrequently seen. Staminate flowers those most frequently produced: relatively large, 6-8 cm. in diameter when spread out, usually borne on long pendulous racemes. Sepals subequal, membranaceous, spreading, only the apices reflexed, pale yellowish green, sometimes veined darker green or nearly white, with minute rose-red spots, dorsal sepal erect, ob-lanceolate, acute, 3.5-4 cm. long and 1.0-1.2 cm. wide, laterals spreading, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 3-3.5 cm. long and 1.5-1.8 cm. broad. Petals spreading, oblanceolate, acute, somewhat oblique, colored like the sepals, 3.5-3.8 cm. long and 1.4-1.6 cm. broad. Lip membranaceous, ovate or triangular, acute, white, often obscurely striped green, the middle concavity including the apex 2-2.5 cm. long and 1-1.2 cm. wide, the lateral margins with elongate, slender, arcuate teeth, most of which are forked at the apex, the base of the middle concavity with 2 erect fleshy elongate truncate crests. Column slender, arcuate, terete, 3.5 cm. long, dilated at the apex; pollinia 2, waxy. Pistillate flowers: relatively infrequent, usually 2-4 on short arching scapes, or rarely subtended by several to many of the staminate form, fleshy throughout. Sepals free, spreading, subequal, yellowish green, obscurely veined darker green, the dorsal sepal 4.5-5.5 cm. long and 1.8-2.2 cm. wide, the laterals 4.5-5 cm. long and 1.8-2 cm. wide. Petals similar to the sepals but broader, 3.5-4 cm. long and 2.2-2.5 cm. broad. Lip very fleshy, slightly convex, ovate, acute, greenish yellow shading to green at the apex, about 3 cm. long and 2.0-2.2 cm. wide, with a basal brown lunate crest. Flowers aging greenish yellow, with narrow brown margins to all segments. Column very stout, about 15 mm. long and 4 mm. in diameter at the terete base, the truncate apex dilated, very variable in width, with a triangular or auriculate fleshy wing on each side of the stigmatic surface.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support epiphyte
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.15 - 0.3
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Flower color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
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Hardiness (USDA) 10-11

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
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Distribution

Cycnoches aureum world distribution map, present in Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:624877-1
WFO ID wfo-0000934165
COL ID 32YXL
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cycnoches aureum Cycnoches egertonianum var. aureum