Sobralia fimbriata

Poeppig and Endlicher 1836

Native to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, French Guiana [possibly also Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama,
Colombia, Suriname, Brazil (Amazonas, Amapa, Para)]

Edited 17 April 2007
© Nina Rach

Originally published in Nov. Gen. ac Sp. Pl. 1:54 (1836), based on a plant collected in Pampayacu, Peru.

This species is easy to distinguish from almost all other sobralias because the petals, as well as the lip, have fimbriate margins. Otherwise, it would be lost in the morass of white sobralias. The flowers are white with a golden throat and the lip bears up to 20 longitudinal keels, which become fimbriate toward the apex, creating a fuzzy surface. Flowers are single and terminal. Natural spread about 10cm.

Another species with fimbriate petals was recently described (2001): Sobralia hirta Bennett & Christenson, from Peru.

Photo at left published with permission of Charles Nixon, Florida (website). The plant is from Ecuador and is growing outside in a teak basket in medium lava rock.

Photo at right by Nina Rach, of a plant from Ecuador, OIC # 14,023. On the slip, J. Beckner noted that "S. hirta has the same characters... except for some purple in the throat." Note that the substance of the petals is poor, not nearly as good as the sepals. Buds develop quickly and the flowers last one day. The leaves are shiny, and firm, and the plant thrives in Houston's warm climate, blooming off and on throughout the year. For photo of pod and photomicrograph of seeds, click here

Bennett, Christenson, et al. (1996) found Sobralia fimbriata growing at about 4600' in the Cordillera Azul in Peru. They mention that the plants grow in isolated patches, rather than in large colonies.

Bussmann (2001) identified large colonies of Sobralia fimbriata in clear-cut areas of lower montane forest, among dense grasses, 1800-2150m, in Reserva Biologica San Francisco. This is at the north end of Podocarpus National Park, in southern Ecuador, south of Loja, near Peru border.

Dunsterville and Garay (1965) mention this species being found at Guayaraca, Venezuela, around 3300 ft, and "also in a number of places on the summit of Auyantepui between Oso Woods at 6800 ft. and base of Second Wall at 5500 ft." These flowers are yellowish cream colored inside, and greenish cream on the backs of the sepals. The lip is white, with some pink flush, and the keels are pale yellow to dark yellow, nearly orange. The column is pale creamy green, and each flower bears 8 soft, cream-colored pollinia.

See the webpage on White Sobralias.

Plants are available from Club Peruano de Orquideas (The Orchid Club of Peru), in Lima.