Curaçao's Orchids

Curaçao's orchids are:..............Schomburgkia humboldtii...............Brassavola nodosa..................Polystachya cerea.................Epidendrum atropurpureum!!  

The most known orchid in Curaçao is the Schomburgkia humboldtii or commonly known as the 'Banana shimaron'. The bulb looks like a banana, that's why it got the name. These orchids grow in the Christoffelpark and can be found on various other areas on the island. By being initiated this gets kept 'secret', because the orchids on Curaçao are protected. The purple orchids one can find mostly in trees. If the plant grows in the full sun, it will grow oval leafs that are greenish yellow in color. But usually these plants sit under leaves of the trees and then the leaves grow to 25 cm long and are dark green in color. The bulbs are then also larger and grow to be up to 30 cm in diameter. Under the leaves, the flower stems grow to up to 75 cm long, but from under the leaves the flowers try to stick out and then they can grow to a few meters. In the area of Seru Bientu a stem was measured at 4.20 m. On a stem like that you will find 15 - 20 flowers, with a color that varies from light pink to dark purple. Once a white sample was found. Usually one finds the Banana Shimaron in large groups. All the plants are connected to each other by the creation of new shoots. These colonies can have a diameter of one meter. After rain, such a colony can become so heavy that a wind gust can cause it to fall down, causing a lot of branches from the tree that it was attached to, to break of. Usually a colony includes a lot of dead, dried up pieces. When such a bulb gets cut in two, one can see that it is hollow, with vertical seperators. Each hollow is connected with open air through a small hole at the base. The hole is where the leaf bud sat, grew out as a leaf and later fell of. In almost all colonies you have large ants living in the empty hollows.

Note:
Myrmecophila Rolfe 191 SUBFAMILY Epidendroideae, TRIBE Epidendreae, SUBTRIBE Laeliinae.

These species were listed in Schomburgkia but have been moved to the new genus Myrmecophilia which means ant bearing, and as the name implies they have psuedobulbs that are naturally hollow to accommodate an ant colony who keep the long growing, long spiking inflorescence and buds safe from predators such as thrips, who would suck the buds dry in a second.

Myrmecophilia humboldti [Rchb.f] Rolfe 1917 subgen Chaunoschomburgkia - Common Name Humboldt's Schomburgkia

This is a Venezuelan species that is a winter to spring bloomer and is a hot to warm growing plant in its cultural requirements. They are best grown on wood mounts, some direct sunlight and ample fertilizer while growing and they will bloom on an apical, long, racemose or paniculate inflorescence arising on a mature psuedobulb that has many successive opening flowers with only 3 or 4 open at a time at the apex of the stalk and occuring in the spring.

Synonyms Bletia humboldtii Rchb.f 1861; *Epidendrum humboldtii Rchb.f 1849; Laelia humboldtii [Rchb.f]L.O.Wms. 1941; Schomburgkia humboldtii [Rchb.f]Rchb.f 1856; Schomburgkia humboldtii var breviscapa Jones 1972

http:// www.orchidspecies.com by Jay Pfahl © Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia

 

Brassavola nodosa

The Brassavola nodosa, commonly kown as the 'dama di anochi' grows mostly in trees as an epiphyte, but also on rocks (but than as a lithophyte), as long as these rocks are out of reach of the all-eating goats. On the very sunny, bald and dry rocks, the leaves of this plant usually get a somewhat purple coloring. The rolled up long leaves avoid that a lot of water gets evaporated. Same as the Schomburgkia, The Brassavola can be found on the shores of Venezuela and Colombia. Here, just like in Curaçao, the salt that because of the sea's evaporation get blown in-land, plays a roll. They think that a little bit of salt helps the growth of these orchids. The flowers are snow white, although some also have pink dots, especially on the lip. When the rains start in September, one sees the first white flowers very quickly. If the rainy season last for a short period then they bloom until may/june, but with long periods of rain they put their energy into making new buds and make less flowers. The flowers of the Brassavola suffer under the eating habits of the bat. Diseases have never been found on the Brassavola or the Schomburgkia. The Brassavola spreads a very nice smell at night.

Polystachya cerea(foliosa)

These orchids are relatively small, have small leaves of about 10cm long and form a flower stem with 10 to 15 small yellow flowers. This orchid was mostly seen on rocks and sometimes on trees. Regretfully most landed in Orchid farms in Caracas. Fortunately a few can still be found around Christoffelberg in unreachable areas.

Note:
Polystachya Hooker 1824 - SUBFAMILY Epidendrodeae, TRIBE Polystachyeae.

There are more than 130 species of this epiphytic, sometimes terrestrial or lithophytic, highly diverse in range and plant form this genus found from tropical Africa to the Caribbean, Florida and Mexico southward to Brazil, and then eastward through the Pacific, South East Asia, and Indonesia.

Synonyms Callista Lour.; Dendrorchis Thou.; Epiphora Lindley; Onychium Bl. ~Polystachya cerea Lindl. 1840 - See Polystachya foliosa (Lindl.) Rchb. f. 1863 Polystachya foliosa (Lindl.) Rchb. f. 1863 Photo courtesy of Noble Bashor

http:// www.orchidspecies.com by Jay Pfahl © Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia

Epidendrum atropurpureum

The fourth Christoffel Orchid is probably extinct, at least on Curaçao, because it can still found on the coasts of Venezuela, east of Caracas; it is notable that the bulbs there, are twice as thick as the ones that were seen at the Christoffelberg. Apparently the Christoffel area lies on the border of its possibilities and it is not likely that a new population will establish here. Epidendrum atropurpureum was discovered by Friar Arnoldo in an area that was kept very secret, on a rock, where it bloomed beautifully each February. A stem full of white flowers and a purple/red heart. Regularly it was checked if it was still there. In 1970 a second sample was found on a tree, but due the rains in 1971, this tree fell over and the orchid then became victim to the goats. They tried to save what was left, but regretfully this was in vain. After 1982 the orchids on the rocks were also taken by some miscreant, because this colony was attached very hard on the rocks

Note:

Encyclia cordigera has for many years been incorrectly known as Epidendrum atropurpureum and only in 1964 was rightfully transferred to the Encyclia group. One of the most handsome of the genus, the beauty of Encyclia cordigera is compounded by its delightful, intoxicating rose fragrance. There are several color varieties found.

Synonyms:
Epidendrum cordigerum Kunth - Cymbidium cordigerum Kunth - Epidendrum macrochilum Hooker - Encyclia macrochila (Hooker) Neumann - Encyclia doeringii Hoehne - Epidendrum longipetalum Godefroy-Lebeuf -Epidendrum atropurpureum Willedenow - Encyclia atropurpurea (Willedenow) Schlechter - Encyclia atropurpurea var. rhodoglossa Schlechter - Encyclia atropurpurea var. laciniatum Ames - Encyclia atropurpurea var. leucantha Schlechter - Encyclia cordigera (Kunth) Dressler

Derivation: from Latin cordatus (heart-shaped) gerens (bearing) for the lip shape Type: Venezuela Plant: epiphytic, to 75cm., a cluster of conical-ovoid pseudobulbs (2-8 x 3-11cm) topped with 2 linear-lancoelate leaves (12-45cm) Flowers: 15-75 cm. simple or branched raceme of 3-15 fragrant, large, green with brown/purplish-brown flowers, lip cream with 3 magenta/red veins near base on large midlobe Bloomtimes: Jan to May (Belize), Habitat: 100 to 900m in dry scrubby forests.

Sources:

De Natuur in het Christoffel Park - Ingvar Kristensens & Rene Severens © 1999 CARMABI Foundation http://www.orchidspecies.com by Jay Pfahl © Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia Polystachya cerea(foliosa) Photo courtesy of Noble Bashor 

Epidendrum atropurpureum Picture from Curtis's Botanical Magazine