Native to Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia
Edited 27 April 2010
© Nina Rach
This species grows as a terrestrial or epiphyte, attaining a height of about 1 meter. Each stem bears 4 or 5 leaves along the top 25%; leaves grow to 5 cm wide x 16 cm long. They are thin, very stiff, medium green, and plicate. Flowers are terminal; sepals are deep rose-purple with clear veins, petals are pale rose-purple along margins of basal half, the lip is pale rose-purple with darker margins, grading to white at the base. Callus of lip has yellow ridges, column is white with slight pink at apex; anther cap and pollinia are pale cream.
Dr. Eric Christenson has been studying this genus, and has come to the conclusion that,
"The real S. yauaperyensis is a Brazilian endemic epiphyte (we were wrong in French Guiana also)"
(pers. comm. 14 July 2003).
In 1995, David E. Bennett and Christenson published plates 201-400 of the Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum, and included "Sobralia yauaperyensis" in that compilation. He says "Our pl. 382 is Sobralia virginalis. We followed Dunsterville's S. yauaperyensis var. alba which is also S. virginalis. Sobralia virginalis is common in Peru and was called S. violacea by Schweinfurth who commented on how odd it was that all S. violacea in Peru were white-flowered, not violet." (pers. comm. 18 Dec. 2003).
Therefore, for plants under the name Sobralia yauaperyensis, arising from countries other than Brazil, please refer to
Sobralia violacea or to
Sobralia virginalis.
In Ecuador, plants under the name Sobralia yauaperyensis were reportedly found at elevations ranging from sea level to 2000 m, in both the Andean and Amazonian regions.
In French Guiana, plants under the name Sobralia yauaperyensis were collected at approx. 2000 ft elevation in tall forest.
Sobralia yauaperyensis was said to found at La Fumée Mountain in French Guiana, along with Elleanthus linifolius
(
New York Botanical Garden field report). Specimens were
collected for the NYBG by M. Freiberg (Sept. 1986) and by S.A. Mori (Oct. 1992) in lowland tropical rain forest.
AOS award:
Sobralia yauaperyensis 'Matsuyo Nakayama' CHM/85 pts
Pacific South Regional Monthly Judging, Los Angeles, 10 July 1989 (AQ v. 21(4), p. 190, with B&W photo)
"Two flowers and two buds on four inflorescences; sepals and petals creamy white; lip pale lavender with bright yellow throat; compact plant with large attractive flowers. According to the O.I.C., "There is about an 80 percent probability of correct determinations for any Sobralia. The retuse lip with tubular base as well as size and shape of the flowers matches the above. White forms of this normally lavender flowered species are known. Sobralia macrantha is similar, but that species has canes 6-10 feet long." Nat. spr. 14.5 cm; ds 2.5cm w, 7.5cm l; pet 3.9cm w, 9.5cm l; ls 2.5cm w, 11.5cm l; lip 7.5cm w, 12.5 cm l." Exhibited by Roland K. Nakayama, Laguna Beach, CA.
Printed References:
David E. Bennett and Eric A. Christenson (1995) Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum. Plates 201-400. Unbound, shrinkwrap, 400pp. Sobralias on Plates 380 (macrophylla), 381(rosea), 382(printed as yauaperyensis, but really S. virginalis); Elleanthus on Plates 230 (gracilis), 231 (koehleri), 232 (linifolius), 233 (lupulinus). - TEXT for Sob. virginalis; LINE DRAWING for Sob. virginalis
David E. Bennett Jr., Eric A. Christenson, B.A. Moises Cavero, and M.M. Leon (1996) "The sobralias of Tingo Maria, Peru," in Orchids 65(8): 820-825. [fimbriata, rosea, yauaperyensis]
G.C.K. Dunsterville and Leslie A. Garay, 1961, Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Volume 2. London: Andre Deutsch Limited, pp.324-325. [Sob. yauaperyensis pictured on cover -- now considered to be Sob. violacea; text and line drawings of Sob. candida (P.& E.) Rchb. f.; Sob. liliastrum Lindley; Sob. yauaperyensis Barb. Rodr.]
G.C.K. Dunsterville and Leslie A. Garay (1979) Orchids of Venezuela: An Illustrated Field Guide, Boston: Botanical Museum of Harvard University, three white volumes, soft cover in a black slip case. [line drawing on p. 944].
Ernesto Foldats (1969) "Orchidaceae," in: T. Lasser, Flora de Venezuela 15(1): 169-201. Caracas: Edicion Especial del Instituto Botanico. [Sob. candida, ciliata, dichotoma, fimbriata, fragrans, infundibuligera, liliastrum, macrophylla, paradisiaca, rosea, sessilis, speciosa, stenophylla, suaveolens, violacea, yauaperyensis]
Gustavo A. Romero and German Carnevali (15 July 2000) Orchids of Venezuela: An Illustrated Field Guide, Second Edition. Caracas: Armitano Editores.
Three gray volumes in a purple slipcase. 70 extra drawings added to the 1050 previously published by Dunsterville and Garay in the original 1979 Field Guide, and taxonomic corrections.
R. Vasquez Ch. and P.L. Ibisch (eds.) (2004) Orquídeas de Bolivia: Diversidad y estado de conservación. Vol. II, Laeliinae - Polystachyinae - Sobraliinae, con actualización y complementación de Pleurothallidiinae. 2nd ed. Editorial Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (F.A.N.), Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. 649 p. [Spanish & English; S. violacea and S. yauaperyensis are treated as separate species]
Eric A. Christenson and J.K. Boggan (1996) "ORCHIDACEAE of the Guianas, in: Checklist of the Plants of the Guianas". Orchidaceae webpage:
URL [cited for French Guiana]
Scott A. Mori and Brian M. Boom, 1987, The Forest, Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden 44: 9-29.
Plant Diversity of Central French Guiana Database (New York Botanical Garden)
"Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador - Accepted Taxa" from the W3 Tropicos database at MOBOT.
.
Comments? Questions? Send e-mail: sobralia@autrevie.com
