Prescottia stachyodes (Sw.) Lindl.

  • Authority

    Ackerman, James D. 1995. An orchid flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 73: 1-203.

  • Family

    Orchidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Prescottia stachyodes (Sw.) Lindl.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Plants glabrous terrestrials of variable size, often more than 50 cm tall. Roots numerous, fasciculate, fleshy, 3-7 mm diam. Leaves green to dark purplish green, basal, 1-4, slightly fleshy; petioles erect, 2.5-20 cm long; blades erect-spreading, elliptic, acute to acuminate, entire to denticulate, 8-16 cm long, 4-7.5 cm wide. Inflorescences terminal, erect; scape 25-50 cm tall, mostly covered by sheathing bracts; spike 4-20 cm long, densely many-flowered; floral bracts lancolate, acuminate, to 12 mm long. Flowers greenish white to greenish brown, erect, nonresupinate, fleshy. Ovary subsessile, 4-6 mm long. Sepals basally connate, reflexed-curled; dorsal sepal linear-lanceolate, 2.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide; lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, acute, 3 mm long, 1.7 mm wide. Petals adnate to the sepaline tube, filiform, reflexedcurled, ca. 2 mm long, 0.3 mm wide. Lip basally auriculate, connate to sepaline tube, 2.5-3.5 mm long, very thick and fleshy, ovate and deeply concave, forming a cavity around the short column. Column basally adnate to sepaline tube, minute, 1.7 mm long. Fruits erect, ellipsoidal, 6-8 mm long.

  • Discussion

    3. Prescottia stachyodes (Swartz) Lindley, Edward's Bot. Reg. 22: sub t. 1916. 1836. Cranichis stachyodes Swartz, Nov. Gen. Sp. PL Prodr. 120. 1788. Type. Swartz s.n., from the Blue Mountains, Jamaica (BM). Phenology & Pollination. Flowering occurs in the winter and early spring. The fact that nearly all the flowers produce fruit suggests that this species is self-pollinating. Taxonomic Notes. There are three species of Prescottia in Puerto Rico and one of them, P. pellucida, is very similar to P. stachyodes. Prescottia pellucida has a slightly larger lip and has mostly green petioles, bracts, and fruits. In P. stachyodes, they are usually dusky pink. However, a Maricao variant of P. stachyodes has green fruits and relatively small stature, otherwise it has flowers of similar size and shape as the more typical form.

  • Distribution

    General Distribution. Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and West Indies.

    Brazil South America| Central America| Mexico North America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| West Indies|