Lycaste skinneri

Lycaste skinneri
Lycaste skinneri
Lycaste skinneri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Maxillarieae
Subtribe: Lycastinae
Genus: Lycaste
Species: L. skinneri
Binomial name
Lycaste skinneri
Lindl.
Synonyms
  • Maxillaria skinneri Bateman ex Lindl. (basionym)
  • Maxillaria skinneri Lindl.
  • Maxillaria virginalis Scheidw.
  • Lycaste skinneri var. alba Dombrain
  • Lycaste skinneri var. reginae B.S. Williams
  • Lycaste virginalis (Scheidw.) Linden
  • Lycaste jamesiana auct.
  • Lycaste schoenbrunnensis Umlauft
  • Lycaste alba (Dombrain) Cockerell
  • Lycaste skinneri f. virginalis (Scheidw.) Christenson

Lycaste skinneri is a plant belonging to the orchid genus Lycaste and from moderate altitudes of Central America.[1]

Lycaste skinneri has pink flowers which can grow about 15 cm (6 in) wide, the flower stem for a single flower being up to 30 cm (12 in) tall. They flower mostly in late autumn or winter. The leaves are deciduous and grow to 75 cm (30 in) long. The plant has pseudobulbs up to 10 cm (4 in) long.[1]

Lycaste skinneri has a white variety (alba) which is the national flower of Guatemala, commonly known as Monja Blanca (White Nun). There is a hybrid Lycaste skinneri × dowiana with flowers of pink sepals, white petals, and pale pink labellum.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p 545. Könemann, 2004. ISBN 3-8331-1253-0