Stanhopea inodora

Loddiges ex Lindley 1870

Native to Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua

Edited 31 December 2008

This large, robust species usually has big pseudobulbs, fragrant, waxy flowers, and large sepals. The lip is usually white and sepals and petals greenish-white.

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Photo at left by Adelaida Angel de Bohmer, Colombia [ photo].

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There is also a spotted form, and most of the photos on this page appear to represent that.

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The photo at left was taken by Rodolfo Baca.

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The photo at right was taken by Jay Pfahl.
Although it is labeled as S. ecornuta, a communication from Dr. Guenther Gerlach of the Munich Botanical Garden indicates that is is really the standard, non-spotted form of Stanhopea inodora. I appreciate Rod Rice bringing this to my attention. Note the structural similarities with the flowers in the photo at left by R. Baca.

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The photo at right was taken by Ann Herrington of Dallas, Texas in June 2000.

Ann writes: "The natural spread is 5 inches. The leaves are 16 inches above the pseudobulbs. They are quite stiff and leathery. There is a rather strong fragrance--deliciously sweet."

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Additional photos of the same inflorescence are included below. Note the detailed image of the lip (left). The image on the right shows the back of the hypochile and mesochile (parts of the lip - horizontal).

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Oakes Ames and Donovan S. Correll 1985. Orchids of Guatemala and Belize. Dover Press, 779 pages [pp. 528-536, 755].

Miguel Angel Soto Arenas (Dec) 1988. 'Updated List of the Orchids of Mexico,' in: Orquidea (Mex) v.11, p.273

Margaret A. Dix and Michael W. Dix 2000. Orchids of Guatemala: A Revised Annotated Checklist. 61p.

Rudolf Jenny 1993. 'Preliminary checklist of the Genus Stanhopea,' in: Schlecteriana v.4(3).

Rudolf Jenny (Dec) 1993. 'The Genus Stanhopea,' in: AOS Bull. 62(12): 1271-1277; includes the very useful 'Preliminary List of Stanhopea Species'.

Rudolf Jenny (Dec. 2003) "The Genus Stanhopea. Part 1: S. anfracta to S. napoensis," in: Caesiana no. 21, Supplement. 200 color photos, 160 p., Italian/English, covers 32 species.

Myron Kimnach (Sept) 1978. 'The Cultivation of Stanhopea and Its Allies,' in: AOS Bull.47(9): 784-794. [S. bucephalus, costaricensis, connata, eburnea, frymirei, gibbosa, graveolens, infracta, inodora, insignis, oculata, rodigasiana, tigrina, wardii]

Miguel Angel Soto Arenas (2003) "Diversidad de orquideas en la region El Momon-Margaritas-Montebello [Chiapas]," Final report of CONABIO Project R225, from Nov. 30, 1998 to Sept. 30, 2001. http://www.conabio.gob.mx/institucion/proyectos/resultados/InfR255.pdf [Acineta barkeri; Gongora galeata, leucochila, truncata; Stanhopea bucephalus, graveolens, inodora, saccata, whittenii]

Stanhopea inodora var. alba photo by Troy Meyers, courtesy of Meyers Conservatory.

Stanhopea inodora var. alba photo from January 2008 meeting of the Sutherland Shire Orchid Society, Australia.

AOS awards to this species:

Stanhopea inodora 'Evets' CBM/AOS (82 pts)
8/11/73, Atlanta, GA
Exhibitor: F. L. Stevenson, Chamblee, GA

Stanhopea inodora 'Judy's Joy' AM/AOS (80 pts)
June 2006, Dallas Judging Center, TX
[originally awarded as Stanhopea wardii; Formal identification by Cal Dodson: "Your Stanhopea is definitely not Stanhopea wardii. I would call it Stanhopea inodora Lindl. and you should be very proud of it. I have never seen one with so many flowers on a single inflorescence. Spectacular!"]
Exhibitor: Judy Cook MD, Guner, TX

Stanhopea inodora 'Matthew Drozd' AM/AOS (86 pts)
9/29/2001, Brevard County OS Show, Melbourne, FL. AQ 33(1)/69P. 8 flowers on 2 inflor.
Exhibitor: Elaine Berol Taylor, Sorrento, FL

Stanhopea inodora 'Orchidanica' HCC/AOS (77 pts)
Awarded at the Pacific Central Regional Monthly Judging, 4 Sept. 1984

Stanhopea inodora fma alba 'Point Loma' HCC/AOS (76 pts)
9/10/2001, Pacific South Judging Center, San Marino, CA. AQ 33(1)/70. 10 flowers on 4 inflor.
Exhibitor: Steve Pruyn, San Diego