Native to Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala
Edited 5 August 2009
© Nina Rach
Original publication: Orchid Grow. Man. ed. 6 (1885) 576; Orchid Album 6 (1886) f. 250; in Bot. Mag. t. 7332 (1894).
Type specimen: Guatemala.
The source of this specific name is from the Greek xanthos which means yellow or red-yellow, and leucos which means bright, brilliant, clear, white, or pale; hence, yellowish white.
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Photos at left and right provided by Jay Vannini.
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Plants are robust, summer-blooming terrestrials, growing in moist conditions in bright light or full sun. Flowers are creamy yellow with a brighter yellow lip and orange center. Natural spread up to 8" across.
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According to the
IUCN – The World Conservation Union, Sobralia xantholeuca is designated as "Endangered."
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The image at left is Plate 250 (1887) from The Orchid Album, issued by Warner and Williams. The entire works consisted of a total of 528 plates which were bound in eleven volumes and published in London between 1882-1897. The orchids were drawn by Mr. John Nugent Fitch and are hand-colored. The size of the original print is 9 1/2 inches by 12 inches.
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The image at right depicts a chromolithograph published in Paris in 1890 in "Revue Horticole, Journal D'horticulture Pratique." (Title page)
Founde en 1829 par les auteurs’ du Bon Jardiner (founded by the authors of "du Bon Jardiner.")
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Seedlings and near-blooming size plants may be available from:
(1)Tropical Orchid Farm, Haiku, Hawaii;
(2) Hoosier Orchids, Indiana;
(3) MCM Orchids, Illinois;
(4) Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, California.
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Sobralia Baron Ohara (Amesiae x xantholeuca) Tokyo Bot. Gardens 1923
Sobralia Colmanae (Veitchii x xantholeuca) Colman 1907
Sobralia Edina (holfordii x xantholeuca) Edin. Bot. Garden 1926
Sobralia Inverleith (lowii x xantholeuca) Edin. Bot. Garden 1926
Sobralia Mirabilis (macrantha x Veitchii) Sanders (St.Albans) 1903
Sobralia Veitchii (macrantha x xantholeuca) Veitch 1894
Sobralia Wiganiae (xantholeuca x ???) 1856
Sobralia Yellow Kiss (xantholeuca x Mirabilis) SBOE 1999
Visit the webpage on Sobralia Hybrids.
Margaret A. Dix and Michael W. Dix (2000) Orchids of Guatemala: A Revised Annotated Checklist. 61p. [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]
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]
C. K. Horich (1978) "Sobralia xantholeuca," in: Orchidee 29(5): 214 - 215 - illus.
Marilyn H.S. Light (November 2007) 'Sobralia xantholeuca', in: Central Vancouver Island Orchid Society Newsletter, pp. 4-5, with photo. Weblink:
http://www.cvios.com/Newsletters/Newsletter%20November%202007.pdf -- propagation and cultural information.
Jean Jules Linden & Lucien Linden (English reprint) Lindenia, An Iconography of Orchids. [5 sobralias:
Sobralia x Veitchii - vol V, p.292;
Sobralia lindenii - vol IV, p.328;
Sobralia violacea - vol III. p.34;
Sobralia xantholeuca - vol V, p.106;
Sobralia xantholeuca var. alba - vol V. p.226]
all with 
Photo by Greg Steenbeeke of Orkology Kreations, © 1998.
"Sobralia"
from Orchids A to Z by the AOS.
Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
