Myrmecophila tibicinis

Myrmecophila tibicinis
Myrmecophila tibicinis (illust. Sarah Ann Drake)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Myrmecophila
Species:
M. tibicinis
Binomial name
Myrmecophila tibicinis
Synonyms[1]

Bletia tibicinis (Bateman ex Lindl.) Rchb.f.
Cattleya tibicinis (Bateman ex Lindl.) Beer
Laelia tibicinis (Bateman ex Lindl.) L.O.Williams
Schomburgkia brysiana var. intermedia H.G.Jones
Schomburgkia campecheana Kraenzl.
Schomburgkia intermedia (H.G.Jones) Withner

Myrmecophila tibicinis is an orchid in the genus Myrmecophila.[1] A common name for the species is the trumpet player's Schomburgkia.[2] It was first described by Bateman in 1838, as Epidendrum tibicinis,[1][3] and assigned to the genus Myrmecophila by Rolfe in 1917.[1][4]

It is found growing in seasonally dry deciduous forest at elevations from 300 to 600 metres in full sun on trunks and larger branches in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and Colombia.[2]

The pseudobulbs are large (18 in or 45 cm) and in the wild, there are always ants living in the pseudobulb, with their debris supplying additional nutrients.[2][5]

It may be confused with M. brysiana but differs in having a larger magenta flower and a larger column while M. brysiana has smaller flowers which are yellow.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. "Plants of the world: Myrmecophila tibicinis". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "IOSPE PHOTOS Myrmecophila tibicinis". www.orchidspecies.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  3. ^ Bateman, J. (1838). "Epidendrum tibicinis Bateman -- Edwards's Botanical Register 24(Misc.): 8".
  4. ^ Rolfe,R.A. 1917. Orchid Review 25: 51
  5. ^ Rico-Gray, V, Barber, J.T., Thien, L.B., Ellgaard, E.G., Toney, J.J. (1989) An Unusual Animal-Plant Interaction: Feeding of Schomburgkia tibicinis (Orchidaceae) by Ants. American Journal of Botany 76, 603-608. JSTOR
  6. ^ "Napa Valley Orchid Society: Myrmecophila (Schomburgkia) tibicinis". Retrieved 12 August 2018.