Brassavola nodosa [L.]Lindley 1831

Common Name Lady of the Night or Knobby Brassavola

Flower Size 3 1/2" [8.75 cm]

This hardy, medium sized, hot growing epiphyte or lithophyte has cylindrical, short stems enveloped by scarious sheaths with a single, sub-terete, sulcate,acute-apiculate leaf. I collected this plant in Honda, Colombia in July of 1995 and mounted it on wood, given moderate shade and high humidity and it's first bloom opened 6/7/97. It has a nice, citrus fragrance at night and the flowers are close to 4" across and occur in the spring and summer but are possible at any time on a 8" [20 cm] long, bracteate inflorescence that arises on a newly maturing psuedobulb that carries a single, long, sub-terete leaf that carries up to 6 flowers. They are found from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Caymans, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Puerto Rico?, French Guaian, Surinam, Guyana, Venzuela, Colombia and Brazil from sea level to about 500 meters as epiphytes or lithophytes and can be quite salt tolerant. I have found them growing on the roots of mangroves in Cozumel, Mexico at sea level.

Synonyms Bletia nodosa Rchb.f 1861; Bletia rhopalorrhachis (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862; Brassavola gillettei Jones 1967; Brassavola grandiflora Lindley 1839; Cymbidium nodosum Sw. 1799; *Epidendrum nodosum L. 1753

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; Sp. Pl. 2: 953. 1753 as Epidendrum nodosa; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as B grandiflora; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856; Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 437. 1862 as Bletia nodosa; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia nodosa; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia rhopalorrhachis; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 17: 49. Panama Schlechter 1922; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 222. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 2 1957; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 6 1958; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 1 1962 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 10 1963; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 4 1970 drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 7 1970 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 47 No 6 1978 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 5 1979; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 8 1980 photo; Orchid Digest Vol 47 No 3 1983 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 5 1993 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 7 1993 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 63 No 3 1994 photo; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 No 9 1996 drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 2 1998 photo; The Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol V Withner 1998 as B grandiflora; The Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol V Withner 1998; Orchids of Malaya Holtum 1953; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000; Orchids of Venezuela ; An Illustrated Field Guide Dunsterville & Gary 1979; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 9 1997 photo; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glenn 2002; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Hamer 1982; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Dodson 1980; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Mora & Atwood 1993; An Introduction to the OrchidsOf Mexico Wiard 1987; Icones Orchidacearum I Hagsater & Salazar 1990; Orchids of Guatemala & Belize Ames & Correwll 1985; Simon & Schuster's Guide to Orchids Fanfani& Rossi 1988; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Orchids of Panama Williams 1985; Native Colombian Orhids COS Vol 1 1991; Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb & Laurent 1982; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 5 1999 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 5 2003 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 2 2005 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 7 2005 photo; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 ; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 as B grandiflora; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 1 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 2 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 6 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 12 2006 photo; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2006 as B grandiflora; Miniature Orchids Frownie 2007; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 12 2008 photo; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide