Brassia caudata (L.) Lindl.
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Authority
Mori, S. A., et al. 1997. Guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana: Part 1. Pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76: 1-422.
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Family
Orchidaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Epiphytes with compressed, oblong-elliptic pseudobulbs to 15 X 4 cm, subtended by a series of scarious bracts. Leaves 2 per pseudobulb, oblong-oblanceolate, apex obliquely bilobed, to 36 X 6 cm. Inflorescences arching basal racemes to 25 cm long, floral bracts minute, inconspicuous. Flowers 6— 15, strongly 2-ranked, showy, greenish yellow with sparse reddish brown transverse barring at bases of sepals and petal and spots at base of lip, becoming orange-tinted with age; sepals and petals lanceolate, suddenly long-acuminate caudate, the dorsal sepal to 6.5 x 0.6 cm at the base; the lateral sepals falcate at base, to 13 X 0.6 cm at the base; petals falcate-sigmoid, 2.3 X 0.4 cm at the base; lip lanceolate with subrevolute lateral margins yielding a subpandurate lamina, acuminate, to 3.5 X 1.3 cm, with biseriate callus of basal, rounded, parallel keels, lateral in front of keels with a pair of teeth; column 9 mm long.