Maxillaria cordyline (Rchb.f.) Dodson 1994 sect. Ornithidium [Salisb.] Christenson 2013 Photo by Rebecca Repasky and the Atrium Biodiversity Information System Website

Plant and Flowers Photo by © Jay Pfahl

Plant and Flowers in situ Ecuador

Plant and Flowers in situ Peru Photos by © Eric Hunt and His Orchid Website

Drawing Drawing by © J Perez, Bennett & Christenson

Common Name The Cordyline-Like Maxillaria [A plant in the Liliaceae]

Flower Size 3/8" [1 cm]

Found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia as a large sized, robust, cold growing, monopodial terrestrial or occasional epiphyte from steep slopes in wet montane forests at elevations around 1800 to 2600 meters with unbranched stems enveloped by distichous, imbricating, articulated, foliar sheaths carrying oblong, acuminate, lightly coriaceous, rigid, spreading leaves that blooms at most any time on axillary, single flowered fasciles with close, tubular, acuminate floral bracts with the campanulate flowers held close to the leaf axils.

Notice the non-clawed apice of the petals, this is the most defining difference betewen this species and M aurea.

Synonyms Camaridium aureum var giganteum [Lindl.] Hoehne 1952; Maxillaria aurea [Poepp. & Endl.] L.O.Wms. var gigantea [Lindl.] Schweinf. 1945; Maxillaria gigantea [Lindl.] Dodson 1993; Neourbania cordyline (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Sitko 2012; Neourbania gigantea (Lindl.) Szlach. & Sitko 2012; *Ornithidium cordyline Rchb.f. 1876; Ornithidium giganteum Lindl. 1845

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953 as Camaridium aureum var giganteum; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 102 Bennett & Christenson 1993 as M gigantea drawing fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 28 1713 - 1776 Brieger 1993 drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 2 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 as M aurea drawing ok; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 as M aurea photo ok; Orquideas Nativas del Tachira Cesar Fernandez 2003 as M aurea photo hmm; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 as M aurea drawing ok; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 as M gigantea photo fide; Las Orquideas del Peru Bezverhov 2011 as M gigantea photo fide

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