Orchid Species: Peristeria elata

ORIGIN: Found as a large sized, warm to hot growing terrestrial or lithophytic orchid from Costa Rica Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela where it is found in shaded grassland edges and stone outcrops in tropical wet forests at elevations of 100 to 700 meters.

DESCRIPTION: This is the national flower of Panama and is commonly called the 'Dove Orchid' or 'Holy Ghost Orchid' and it is easy to see the dove sitting on the nest within the flower. It is found as a large sized, warm to hot growing terrestrial or lithophytic orchid from Costa Rica Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela where it is found in shaded grassland edges and stone outcrops in tropical wet forests at elevations of 100 to 700 meters with clustered, large, ovoid or conical pseudobulbs enveloped basally by imbricate, papery sheaths with the upper 2 being leaf bearing and carrying 3 to 5 apical, plicate, broadly lanceolate to elliptic, acute or acuminate, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate short petiolate base leaves. It blooms from July till August and has a rigidly erect, to 4 1/2' [135 cm] long, basal inflorescence with 10 to 15, campanulate, subglobose, waxy flowers and appearing on a new growth and opening as the pseudobulb has matured but before the leaves drop. The flowers opens successively over a long period with many [10 to 20], highly scented, waxy, cup-shaped flowers, but only 4 to 6 open at any one time.

FLOWER SIZE: 2 inches [5 cm] -- information provided by Jay Pfahl, author of the Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia (IOSPE).

Most awarded/recent cultivars: Per. elata 'Brandorf' (2018) Per. elata 'La Cañada' (2007) Per. elata 'Charlotte' (2001) Per. elata 'Winged Beauty' (1984) Per. elata 'Anne' (1984) Per. elata 'Carmel' (1969)