Sobralia caloglossa

Schlechter 1929

Native to Bolivia and Peru

Edited 21 June 2007
© Nina Rach

This is a robust-growing, terrestrial sobralia species that was originally discovered in Bolivia, and recently found by Eric Christenson and Marni Turkel in Peru. In his 2002 article, Eric notes that the main difference between the two groups is that the Peruvian plants have much wider leaves.

The sepals, petals and sidelobes of the lip are brown, and the sepals are white on the exterior. Midlobe of lip lavender, wavy, with crinkled edge. The callus is fimbriate, with central yellow stripe. The column and anther cap are white, and exposed, that is, not wrapped by the side-lobes of the lip. the word caloglossa derives from the Greek, and means "beautiful tongue."

This species is similar to Sobralia cattleya, which also has brown flowers, but the side lobes of the lip of that species are erect and wrap around the column.

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Photos by Erica Moron de Abad. The lavender clone at right is from Moyobamba, Peru.

The type specimen (as designated by Christenson) was collected by Otto Buchtien, on 13 Aug 1922, in the Tipuani Valley, Hacienda Casana, at 1400 m. The lectotype is part of the United States National Herbarium of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and the isotype is in the Herbarium of the Universität Zürich.

The two Peruvian populations have been found at 8550 ft (2600 m) and 5400 ft (1650 m), at slightly higher elevation than the Bolivian collection.