Guanchezia
Classification
Maxillarieae subtribe Lycastinae
Overview
Caespitose terrestrials. Pseudobulbs ovoid. Leaves one, erect, elliptic, very long-petiolate. Inflorescences erect, very long-pedunculate, few-flowered racemes. Flowers cupped, slightly nodding. Sepals and petals subsimilar, free, incurved. Lip unlibed, without callus, with a short spur. Column straight, without wings, with a short foot, the clinandrium hooded, the anther pubescent; pollinia 4 in two pairs, strongly compressed, on a common U-shaped stipe.
Etymology
Named to honor Francisco J. Guánchez M., a Venezuelan orchid collector.
Distribution
A monotypic genus endemic to Venezuela.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow plants of Guanchezia in shallow pots of sphagnum moss, preferably living moss. Provide bright light levels, cool temperatures, and regular watering throughout the year. Native to boggy soils, no resting period is required and the root system should never fully dry out.
Literature
Romero-González, G. A. and G. Carnevali Fernández-Concha 2000. Orchids of Venezuela, an illustrated field guide, ed. 2:1135-1136. Schweinfurth, C. 1959. A showy new Bifrenaria from Venezuela. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 28(3):199-201.
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