Object Details
- Description
- This medium sized orchid causes its bee pollinator to fall through its flower, collecting pollinia as it goes. The bee repeats this move at the next flower it visits, causing it to be pollinated.
- Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)
- May to October; peaks in July
- Ethnobotanical Uses
- In some parts of Mexico, the flowers of this orchid were used in the preparation of tortillas.
- Medicinal / Pharmaceutical
- This plant was used medicinally by the Aztecs and to treat sunstroke and weakness by Mexican Indians.
- Pollination Syndrome
- Bee (euglossine), collects oil
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Accession Number
- 2015-1393A
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Life Form
- Epiphytic
- Bloom Characteristics
- Pendant inflorescence is 6" (15.3 cm) long with 3-10 white and red mottled flowers. Flowers are 8" (20 cm) across.
- Fragrance
- Chocolate, vanilla
- Plant Size
- 10-18" x 4-5" (25-46 x 10-13 cm), excluding inflorescence
- Range
- Mexico
- Habitat
- damp, thick forests; 1970-5580ft (600-1700m)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
- Common Name
- Spotted Bull
- The Tiger-like Stanhopea
- Torito
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Lilianae
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Subfamily
- Epidendroideae
- Genus
- Stanhopea
- Species
- tigrina
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Topic
- Orchids
- Living Collections
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2015-1393A
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ax7753938f5-5e76-4890-bc45-5c60931b21cf
