"Here is a picture of an orchid found growing at 1500m in Pampa Hermosa, near
Satipo in Perú.
http://www.trekperu.org/orchid.jpg
I would dearly like to know what it is - even the genus! The flowers are as
illustrated, around 12 cm across. The plant stands around 3-5m tall, winding
through scrub with flexible 2-3 cm diametre stems. The leaves are extremely odd
for an orchid. There is no petiole, and the leaf entirely encloses the stem,
standing 2-3 cm proud on one side and 25 cm on the other. Leaves are extremely
fleshy and rigid - approaching an aloe, almost - and tapering to a sharp point
in a near straight line, much as an aloe does. I could not get to see the roots.
The area is Sobralia territory but I wonder if this is not a Vanilla? Or what?"
The plant is certainly a Sobralia, as Oliver suggests. It is most definitely not Sobralia macrantha though. Too tall, wrong locale, and macrantha is one of the Sobralias that has a greatly reduced inflorescence, not the long racemes shown in the photo. Eric Christenson knows this genus well, perhaps he will comment.
Dennis
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