Type species: Lueddemannia pescatorei, photo by Eric Hunt .

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The genus Lueddemannia was established by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach ("Rchb.f." 1824-1889), who published Lueddemannia pescatorei in Bonplandia ii, page 281 (1854). It was named for M. Lueddemann.

They are large-growing epiphytic orchids with only a few species known from the South America Andes (Peru to Venezuela). It is possible that the three species listed as valid by IPNI are all the same, and the genus may be monotypic.
Gerlach (1999) places Lueddemannia within the "Acineta-Verwandtschaftsgruppe," allied with Acineta, Lacaena, and Vasqueziella, within the larger Stanhopinae Alliance.

The plants have ovoid, ridged pseudobulbs, each bearing 2-4 large, pleated leaves. The inflorescences begin from the base of the pseudobulbs and are always pendant, with fleshy, showy flowers hanging downward ("nodding") on a simple raceme.

They seem to require intermediate to cool conditions. Viateur Boutot translated the following from Hervé Canals (1994) Stanhopea et genres allies, p. 55: "cool conditions, in a pot, in a mix of very fibrous peat, well drained. Water well when the plant is actively growing. During the winter, the plants may be grown in cool conditions and given as much light as possible while the waterings are reduced. Repot when new shoots emerge."

The valid species:
For culture of all three, see The Baker's Culture on demand: orchid species culture sheet

Lueddemannia pescatorei (Lindley) Linden & Rchb.f., in: Bonplandia, ii. (1854) p.281. [N. Granat]
Rand (1876), wrote: "A plant much resembling Acineta Barkeri in habit, but with flowers resembling a Lacaena. The flower spike is pendulous, very long, producing 30 or more rather small flowers, with brownish-yellow sepals and clear yellow petals; lip yellow, with green base. Culture the same as Acineta, in baskets in moss and peat. A rare plant."

Lueddemannia triloba Rolfe, in: Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew (1895) 283; et in Gardeners Chronicle (1895) ii. p.713, fig. 118. [Peru; Andes]

Lueddemannia vyvereana Schlechter, in: Orchis (1912), 6, p.113, Pl.25. [Costa Rica?; Peru?]

Invalid species:

Lueddemannia lehmanni Rchb.f., in: Gardeners Chronicle (1880) II. p.685. -- now considered to be Cycnoches lehmanni Rchb.f., from Ecuador - Alt 100-1400m.
See: Orchidata page for photo.

Lueddemannia sanderiana Kraenzlin, in: Gardeners Chronicle (1897), Series 3, 22, p.138. -- now considered to be Lacaena bicolor.

Lueddemannia [Leuddemannia] wallisii Rchb.f., in: Linnaea, xli. (1877) p.109. -- now considered to be Neomoorea wallisii (Rchb.f.) Schlechter
See: Baker's Culture on demand: orchid species culture sheet

Printed References:

Commemorative Program from the __th World Orchid Conference, Bogota. Conferencia mundial de orquideologia, programa commemorativo, pp. 62, 64. 112: Lueddemannia.

AOS Bulletin (May 1978) Color photo of Lueddemannia pescatorei on p. 441.

Paul Bechtel, Phil Cribb, Launert - 3d ed. (1992) The Manual of Cultivated Orchid Species. [Lueddemannia pescatorei]

Hervé Canals (1994) Stanhopea et genres alliés .(Stanhopeinae, orchidées de la sous-famille des Vandaïdae). Rhône-Alpes Orchidées – 13 rue de Fontlupt, Lyon, 8ème), 96pp. p. 55: Lueddemannia.

G.C.K. & E. Dunsterville (1988) Orchid Hunting in the Lost World. Color photo of Lueddemannia pescatorei on p. 149.

G.C.K. Dunsterville & Leslie Garay (1979) Orchids of Venezuela -- An Illustrated Field Guide, v.2 H-O. Lueddemannia pescatorei on p. 442.

Rodrigo R. Escobar [ed.] (19--) Native Colombian Orchids, Volume 2 (Orquídeas nativas de Colombia, volumen 2), pp. 250-251: Lueddemannia.

Guenther Gerlach (1999) "80. Subtribus: Stanhopeinae und 81. Subtribus: Coeliopsidinae (Teil 1)," in: Schlechter, Die Orchideen, Band I, Teil C, Lieferung 37/38, 128 p. with 142 B&W illustrations, in German.

Guenther Gerlach (2001) "Die Subtribus Stanhopeinae. 4. Lueddemannia bis Schlimmia," in: J. Orchideenfreund 8(4): 325-337.

Duane McDowell (1995) The Orchid Picture Book. Color photo of Lueddemannia pescatorei on p. 19.

Pedro Ortíz (19--) Las orquídeas de Colombia (Géneros). p. 140: Lueddemannia.

Pedro Ortiz V., Alfonso Martinez M., and Guillermo Misas U. (1982) Orquídeas Ornamentales de Colombia (Ornamental Orchids of Colombia). Bogota: Carlos Valencia Editores. [p. 152: Lued. pescatorei; Stan. connata, platyceras, reichenbachiana, rodigasiana, shuttleworthii, wardii]

Mariano Ospina Hernandez (1958) Orquideas Colombianas / Colombian Orchids. Bogota: Publicaciones Tecnicas Ltda. Color drawings. [Stanhopea gibosa (gibbosa), guttulata, platyceras, suavis, tigrina, wardii]

Mariano H. Ospina (1996) Orchids and Ecology in Colombia: To the Rescue of Paradise. 228pp + Appendix 4: List of Orchid Species Registered for Colombia. p. 237: Lueddemannia.

Mariano Ospina H. and Robert L. Dressler (1974) Orquideas de las Americas. Bogota: Litografia Arco, 496p. [Stanhopea cirrhata (Fig. 163), connata, costarricensis (costaricensis), ecornuta, grandiflora, insignis, oculata, platyceras (Fig. 164), reichenbachiana, saccata, schuttleworthii (shuttleworthii), tigrina, wardii]

Alec Pridgeon (1992) The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids. Color photo of Lueddemannia pescatorei, p. 157.

Edward Sprague Rand (1876) Orchid Culture. New York: The Rural Publishing. [Orchids. A Description of the Species and Varieties Grown at Glen Ridge... A Complete Manual of Orchid Culture].
Link to this book at the Digital Orchid Library, http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/orchids.
Lueddemannia on p. 308: Lueddemannia Pescatorei.

Gustav Reichenbach (1854) "__Lueddemannia pescatorei__," in: Bonplandia, ii. p.281. [original publication]

Robert Allen Rolfe (1895) "__Lueddemannia triloba__," in: Kew Bulletin (1895) 283; et in Gard. Chron. (1895) ii. p.713, fig. 118. [original publication]

Rudolf Schlechter (1912) "__Lueddemannia vyvereana__," in: Orchis vi. p.113. [original publication]

Rudolf Schlechter (191-) Die Orchideenfloren der südamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten - II - Colombia. p. 260: Lueddemannia.

Charles Schweinfurth (1960) "Orchidaceae, Orchids of Peru," in: Fieldiana, Botany 30(3): 533--786 [Lueddemannia; Lycomormium; Sievekingia; Peristeria; Houlletia; Polycycnis; Gongora; Stanhopea]

Samuel Sprunger (1986) Orchids from Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Lueddemannia pescatorei, pl. 7123.

Norris H. Williams, W.M. Whitten, and Calaway H. Dodson. 1984. "Preliminary Analyses of the Floral Fragrances of Species of Acineta, Houlletia, Lueddemannia, Lycomormium, Paphinia, and Sievekingia (Orchidaceae)," in: Selbyana 7:315-317.

Online References:

International Plant Names Index [IPNI], http://www.ipni.org

Kew list of orchid species: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/data/monocots/orch_all.pdf

Link to this book at the Digital Orchid Library, http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/orchids.
Lueddemannia on p. 308: Lueddemannia Pescatorei.

AOS Awards to Lueddemannia:

Lueddemannia pescatorei 'Alba Luz' AM/AOS 80 pts, 6/10/94, Tulua, Colombia

Lueddemannia pescatorei 'Amira' AM/AOS 82 pts, 3/29/2000, Medellin, Colombia, AOS Awards Quarterly - Vol. 31 - No. 4 - p. 275 B&W photo - December 2000

Lueddemannia pescatorei 'Tenche' CBM/AOS, AOS Awards Quarterly - Vol. 6 - No. 4 - p.77 B&W photo - October 1975

Other Awards to Lueddemannia:

Gold Medal, 58th Miami Intl Orchid Show (March 2003): Lueddemannia pescatorei exhibited by Sr. Socrates Forero, Colombia, in his exhibit, "Colombian Footprints."