Native to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
Edited 17 April 2007
text © Nina Rach
Type specimen from Nicaragua, Rivas: Volcán Maderas, Isla de Ometepe, Lago de Nicaragua, epiphyte in mossy rain forest, alt. 4000 ft., May 1963, A.H. Heller 8029. Collected again in Nicaragua from Rio San Juan: 4 Jan 1995, by Ricardo Rueda, Blas Hernández and Edith Palma 2515.
Observed at 700 m [5 July 1988, Gerardo Herrera 1989 (MO)] and 820 m elevation in the Arenal area of Alajuela Province, Costa Rica, blooming in June, July, and August. Specimen collected in Monteverde, Costa Rica, Voucher # 7252.
White with blood red lip. Large species to 4' tall. Grow intermediate, with moderately bright-bright light, evenly moist.
Photo at left courtesy of Andres Maduro (Panama) and Woodstream Orchids.
AOS Award:
Sobralia helleri 'Woodstream' CBR/AOS
National Capital Center Monthly Judging, 2 February 2003 [AQ 35, p. 65; B&W photo by James Osen].
"A very attractive reed-type plant with large broad foliage; canes measure up to 70 cm with a single tubular, slightly open flower arising from apex of one cane; sepals and petals white; lip white, interior magenta rose, apex of lip magenta rose with white midline; substance and texture unable to be determined due to closed form of flower. Nat.spr. 4.4cm, 3.9cm vert; ds 3.8cm w, 8.0cm l; pet 3.0cm w, 6.5cm l; ls 3.0cm w, 8.5cm l; lip 2.4cm w, 7.0cm l." Exhibited by Woodstream Orchids, Huntingtown, Maryland.
Printed References:
Robert L. Dressler (1993) Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 304 pp.; hardcover. [no photo].
Fritz Hamer (2001) Flora de Nicaragua: Orchidaceae, Missouri Botanical Garden. [Hamer described 587 orchid species in 144 genera].
Fritz Hamer (1990) Orchids of Central America, an illustrated field guide, M-Z, in: Selbyana 11 (Supp.):423-860. [line drawing on p. 769]
Alex D. Hawkes (1966) in: Phytologia 14(1): 16-17, t. 11.
W.D. Stevens, Carmen Ulloa Ulloa, Amy Pool & Olga Martha Montiel (editores) (2001) Flora de Nicaragua -- Orchidaceae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. 85: 1–2666. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, in Spanish and Latin.
Web References:
International Plant Names Index [IPNI],
www.ipni.org
Entry in
Flora Mesoamericana
William A. Haber (2001) "Plants of Monteverde: Orchidaceae"
[
http://www.cs.umb.edu/~whaber/Monte/Plant/Orch.html],
in: Monteverde Natural History
http://www.cs.umb.edu/~whaber/Monte/MV/MV-3.html
Information about three specimens of Sobralia helleri can be found in the BIMS Database for Costa Rica [Biodiversity Information Management System].
William A. Haber (2001)
"Plants of Monteverde: Orchidaceae"
in: Monteverde Natural History
Checklist of the Orchids of Rara Avis - one of eight Sobralias listed for this Costa Rican preserve.
Plants of Monteverde: Orchidaceae