20122678 from Toronto CHM
Maxillaria melina Lindl., Orchid. Linden.: 20 (1846).
This name is accepted.
Distribution: N. South America to Ecuador
Seventeen
flowers and eight buds on 25 inflorescences and 10 developing
inflorescences indicating a staggered bloom period, borne on a 45cm
wide plant in a 12 cm plastic pot; pseudobulbs squat, tightly clustered,
3cm high by 1.5cm wide, laterally compressed; leaves acute, oblong
linear up to 4cm wide by 20 cm long, petiole conduplicate to 8cm, formed
canopy over erect inflorescences up to 7.5 cm tall; flowers white;
sepals and petals distal half overlaid dusky mauve on interior and
exterior; lip farinose, blushed light mauve distally; substance firm;
texture matte; flowers emit sharp unpleasant order in close proximity;
recognized for attractive colouration and floriferousness.
The
clonal name given here was quite appropriate "Back-off Dirty Socks" it
had a very sharp rancid unpleasant odour, but only when you got close
to the flowers - it was really unnoticeable with the plant just sitting
at the table.
Maxillaria melina, award 20122678,
has been confirmed to be Maxillaria edwardsii by SITF (Jan 2013), with assistance
of Mario Blanco. Please add to the
description that Mario determined this to be Maxillaria argyrophylla, which he
plans to synonymize with Maxillaria edwardsii in a future publication.