Native to Chiapas (Mex.), Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama
Edited 1 June 2007
text © Nina Rach
Photo at left by Adam Philip Karremans. He photographed the plant in Santa Cruz, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica, at ca. 1600 m, on the slopes of Turrialba Volcano.
Observed flowering in Costa Rica from 350 to 1700 m elevation, most commonly 1200 to 1550m; blooming in January, March, April, August, and September. Often seen in the Arenal area. Voucher 8662 from Monteverde.
From "The Cutting Edge," Volume VIII, Number 4, October 2001:
"A well-known ornamental Sobralia (Orchidaceae) with golden-lipped flowers, ranging along the Atlantic slope from Nicaragua to central Panama, has long been called either S. leucoxantha Rchb. f. or S. powellii Schltr. The latter name has been established as applying to a rather different sp. of central Panama. Now, examination of the type of S. leucoxantha (one of the two entities alluded to in the title) reveals that this name has also been misapplied; correctly, Sobralia leucoxantha is the oldest name for a more humble sp., of Costa Rica and Panama, heretofore known as S. macra Schltr. The flashier, golden-lipped sp., momentarily nameless, is here formally christened as Sobralia chrysostoma Dressler (the second entity of the title). No specimens are cited other than the type."
Margaret A. Dix and Michael W. Dix (2000) Orchids of Guatemala: A Revised Annotated Checklist. 61 p. [Elleanthus capitatus, E. caricoides, E. cynarocephalus, E. graminifolius, E. hymenophorus, E. linifolius, E. poiformis; Sobralia amabilis, S. decora, S. fragrans, S. leucoxantha, S. macra, S. macrantha, S. mucronata, S. xantholeuca]
Robert L. Dressler (1993) Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 304 pp.; hardcover. [Sob. allenii; Sob. amabilis; Sob. atropubescens ; Sob. bletiae; Sob. bouchei; Sob. bradeorum; Sob. callosa ; Sob. corazoi; Sob. decora; Sob. decora var. aerata; Sob. fenzliana; Sob. fimbriata; Sob. fragrans; Sob. helleri; Sob. labiata; Sob. lepida; Sob. lindleyana; Sob. luteola; Sob. macra; Sob. macrantha ; Sob. macrophylla; Sob. mucronata; Sob. neglecta; Sob. pfavii; Sob. pleiantha; Sob. powellii; Sob. suaveolens ; Sob. undatocarinata; Sob. valida; Sob. warscewiczii; Sob. wercklei]
Robert L. Dressler 2001. "Two Sobralias," in: Orchids 70(8): 750-751, 770. ["Features fine close-up color photos of flowers of both S. chrysostoma and S. leucoxantha, by Kerry A. Dressler."]
Fritz Hamer (1974) Las Orquideas de El Salvador II. Ministerio de Educacion, San Salvador, El Salvador. 427 p. [Sob. decora, macra, macrantha, macrantha alba, macrantha purpurea, macrantha var. kienastiana, polyphylla, xantholeauca]
Fritz Hamer (1990) Orchids of Central America: An Illustrated Field Guide (M-Z), in: Selbyana 11(Suppl.):423-860 [Line drawings: p.594: Palmorchis silvicola; pp.764-781: Sobralia bradeorum, chatoensis, decora, fenzliana, fragrans, helleri, lepida, lindleyana, luteola, macra, macrantha, macrantha var. kienastiana, mucronata, powellii, suaveolens, triandra, warscewiczii, xantholeuca]
Rudolf Schlechter (1923) Fedde, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 19: 161.
M. and C. Angel Soto Arenas (30 Nov 1998 - 30 Sept. 2001) "Diversidad de orquideas en la region El Momon-Margaritas-Montebello," central Chiapas, Mexico. (text in Spanish:
www.conabio.gob.mx/institucion/proyectos/resultados/InfR225.pdf) [Sobralia macdougallii, sp. aff. powelii, x veitchii, xantholeuca, macrantha, fragrans, macra, galeottiana, mucronata, lindleyana]
International Plant Names Index [IPNI],
www.ipni.org.
Information about 17 collected specimens 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
Harvard University Herbarium (as of 10 April 2003), Index of Botanical Specimens.
URL:
http://brimsa.huh.harvard.edu/cms-wb/specimen_index.html
[99 Sobralias listed: Sobralia allenii; amesiana; amparoae; atropubescens; biflora; bimaculata; bletiae; bouchei; bradeorum; buchtienii; callosa; corazoi; crocea; decora; decora Bateman var. aerata P. H. Allen & L. O. Williams; edwardsii; epiphytica; fenzliana; fimbriata; galeottiana; hoppii; infudibuligera (infundibuligera); klotzscheana; labiata; lancea; lepida; leucoxantha; lindleyana; luteola; macra; macrantha; macrophylla; mandonii; mucronata; neglecta; panamensis; panamensis Schlechter var. albiflos Schlechter; persimilis; pfavii; pleiantha; powellii; pulcherrima; rigidissima; rolfeana; rosea; roseo-alba; sancti-josephi; sanderae; semperflorens; speciosa; suaveolens; sulphurea; undatocarinata; valida; violacea; warszewiczi; wilsoniana]
Missouri Botanic Garden, Manual de la Flora de Costa Rica:
www.mobot.org/manual.plantas/047713/S050330.html
