Sarcoglottis sceptrodes

Sarcoglottis sceptrodes
Sarcoglottis sceptrodes flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Sarcoglottis
Species:
S. sceptrodes
Binomial name
Sarcoglottis sceptrodes
Synonyms
  • Gyrostachys sceptrodes (Rchb.f.) Kuntze
  • Spiranthes sceptrodes Rchb.f.
  • Sacroglottis purpusiorum Schltr.
Flower side view showing down-curving lip's midlobe flaring broadly at tip
Plant in habitat

Sarcoglottis sceptrodes, with no commonly used English name, though species of the genus often are called jewel orchids, is a species of herbaceous plant native to Mexico and Central America. It belongs to the family Orchidaceae.[1]

Description

Here are key field marks useful for distinguishing Sarcoglottis sceptrodes from similar orchid species:[2]

  • It grows on the ground, not on trees.
  • Flowering plants are up to 40 cm (15+1⁄2 in) tall, with stems less than 2 cm (3⁄4 in) long (flowers are held aloft on a peduncle).
  • Leaves arise at the plant base and have discernible petioles which are white-green at their bases. Leaves die back during dry seasons.
  • Inflorescences produce 5-11 flowers which are green or brownish green. The bract below each flower is more than three-fourths the length of the ovary, and its tip gradually diminishes to a sharp point.
  • Each flower possesses a lip, or labellum, more than 3 cm (1+1⁄8 in) long, and which arcs outward and down. The tip of the lip's midlobe flares broadly into a flat tip (truncate). The flower's petals are straight, not curved, but the side sepals are curved and have wavy margins.

Distribution

In Mexico Sarcoglottis sceptrodes occurs as far north as the coastal states of Sinaloa in the west and Tamaulipas in the east, southward, including the Yucatan Peninsula.[3] In Central America it occurs in all countries.[4]

Habitat

In Costa Rica Sarcoglottis sceptrodes is documented flowering in February in secondary, tropical moist forest along a seasonal stream with tall trees, at an elevation of 370 m (1,210 ft).[2] Images on this page show an individual flowering in January along a shaded trail in a dry forest in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, at an elevation of 40 m (130 ft).[5] In a study of orchid diversity in an area near Papantla, Veracruz, México, with a warm, humid climate with abundant summer rainfall, and at 200 m (660 ft) in elevation, Sarcoglottis sceptrodes was the third most abundant species, the top three species contributing over half of the entire orchid population, which was represented by 13 species.[6]

As "collector orchids"

Sarcoglottis sceptrodes is grown by orchid collectors. The species is thought of as a "hot-growing orchid" preferring about 80% shade, regular watering with dry periods, and may be grown in pots.[7]

Taxonomy

In 1855 when Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach formally described and named Sarcoglottis sceptrodes under the basionym Spiranthes sceptrodes, he noted "Segovia Guanacarta Oersted."[8] "Segovia" appears to be Las Segovias, a mountainous region in northern Nicaragua. "Guanacarta" corresponds to Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. It is unclear why "Segovia" was mentioned, but the type specimen is said to be "undoubtedly from 'Guanacarta' (Guanascaste {sic}) in Costa Rica."[2] Oersted had to be Anders Sandøe Ørsted who collected plants in Costa Rica and Nicaragua during the mid 1800s.[9]

Etymology

The genus name Sarcoglottis comes from the Greek sarx meaning "flesh", and glotta, meaning "tongue." This refers to the fleshy lip of the genus's type species.[10]

The species name sceptrodes is based on the Greek skeptron or sceptrum, which mean "wand, shaft, or baton," and odes meaning "resembling." Thus "resembling a wand or baton," in allusion to the inflorescence's shape.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sarcoglottis sceptrodes (Rchb.f.) Schltr". Plants of the World Online. United Kingdom: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bogarín, Diego; Pupulin, Franco (June 30, 2021). "The Orchid Flora of Barra Honda National Park, Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica" (PDF). Harvard Papers in Botany. 26 (1). Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University, pulished online: 2021. doi:10.3100/hpib.v26iss1.2021.n3. ISSN 1938-2944. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ Villaseñor, José Luis (August 4, 2016). "Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico". Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad. 87. Mexico City: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Sarcoglottis sceptrodes (Rchb.f.) Schltr". catalogueoflife.org. Catalogue of Life. June 19, 2026. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Sarcoglottis sceptrodes Research Grade". iNaturalist. January 7, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ Sangabriel Flores, José de Jesús; Alanís Méndez, José Luis; Ortiz Domínguez, Maribel (June 2019). "Diversidad de orquídeas en tres unidades de Paisaje del Ejido El Remolino. Papantla, Veracruz, México" (PDF). Orquideología (in Spanish). 36 (1): 21–34. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Sarcoglottis sceptrodes 'Jewel Orchid'". seattleorchid.com. Pleasant Hill, OR, USA: Seattle Orchid LLC. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  8. ↑ Reichenbach filio, H. G. (August 1, 1855). "Symbolae Orchidaceae". In Seemann, Berthold (ed.). Bonplandia. Zeitschrift für die gesammte Botanik (in Latin). Vol. 3 (15-16 ed.). Carl Rümpler. p. 214.
  9. ↑ "Index of Botanists: Oersted, Anders Sandoe". Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Sarcoglottis". American Orchid Society. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
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