Native to Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, and the Andes
Edited 9 May 2007
Etymology: This species is named for Alvin Embree, an American orchidologist. A typical inflorescense will have 3-7 pale yellow to white flowers with reddish-brown speckles and possibly an eye spot. Note the very delicate horns, much shorter than the epichile.
The original description is of a plant from Ecuador. It is found in wet, montane cloud forest of that country in Chimborazo and Canar provinces.
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The photo at left was provided by Mr. Pedro Glucksmann of Caracas, Venezuela.
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Photo at right of three developing inflorescences,
by Nina Rach, Sept 2003.
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Stanhopea embreei 'Pamela' CBR/AOS
Awarded at the Acadian Orchid Society Show, Lafayette, Louisiana, 27 April 1996.
Exhibited by Russell and Pamela Keaton, Bogalusa, LA.
Three cream-colored flowers on one pendent inflorescence; recognized for unusual form; petals tightly rolled behind dorsal sepal; hypochile apricot gold with a large burgundy eye on each side, epichile cream-colored, heavily spotted burgundy; column cream-colored, green basally; substance heavy; texture waxy; five pseudobulbs with single plicate leaves, grown in fir bark in a teak basket.
Natural spread 3.0 cm wide x 14.0 vertical; dorsal sepal 2.8 cm wide x 7.1 cm long; petals 1.9 cm wide x 6.0 cm long; lateral sepals 3.0 cm wide x 7.0 cm long; lip 2.9 cm wide x 6.5 cm long.
___ (2002?) "Dept. of Stanhopeinae: Stanhopea embreii & Stanhopea maculosa," in: Oasis-- The Journal 2(2): pp. __.
Arcadio Arosema G., Roberto Estrada G., Cecilia de Jurado, and Max Konanz M. (1988) Orchids From the Coast of Ecuador. Guayaquil: Asociacion Ecuatoriana de Orquideologia, 129p. [Stanhopea embreei p. 97]
Calaway H. Dodson (1975) "Stanhopea embreei," in: Selbyana 1(2): 128. [sp. nov.]
C. H. Dodson & P. M. Dodson (1980) Orchids of Ecuador, Icones Plantarum Tropicarum, Fascicles 1-4 (plates 1 to 400); Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. [plate 318: Stanhopea embreei].
Charles Marden Fitch (2000) "Fragrant Orchids," in: Orchids 69(4): 322-333. [Stanhopea embreei photo, p.332]
N.H. Williams and William Mark Whitten (1982) 'Identification of floral fragrance components of Stanhopea embreei and attraction of its pollinator to synthetic fragrance compounds,' in: Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 51:1262-1266.
International Plant Names Index [IPNI],
www.ipni.org
Stanhopea embreei from the collection of the Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Czech Republic.
Photo of Stanhopea embreei by Troy Meyers, courtesy of Meyers Conservatory
Plant in cultivation at Akerne Orchids, from Ecuador
Comments or questions? Send e-mail: stanhopea@autrevie.com
