Gongora Name(s)

[clarita]

I'm having a tough time trying to sort out this plant's name. It was marked as Gga graveolens. I have the seen name on the internet in trying to research it. However, upon emailing; Baker's does not seem to know a Gga graveolens.

Also saw galeata. I am concerned in correctly Identifying this plant because some Gga's are warm growing while others are cool- intermediate. Could this be galeata?

What messed me up even further is that I see on the internet that galeata is aka tri-color. When I pulled the Baker's culture sheet they identify tricolor as Gga.fulva.Now I am totally confused.

Does anyone know Gga graveolens? Has this been re-named? Is Graveolens possibly a hybrid. Any help to sort out this mess would be appreciated. Thanks!

[kmarch]

Here's a few things you might find usefull in sorting this out:

1) The internet should not to be trusted to provide reliable taxonomic information unless it is coming from reliable, recognized, reputable sources.

2) While I love the Baker & Baker info and use it quite a lot, I don't know that the Bakers are renound for their taxonomical work. When I think taxonomy I don't usually think Bakers, though they are one of the first that come to mind for cultural info. I say this because of the paph and phrag species they list in their books.

3) There's a couple of books that specifically look at the genus gongora that may help. I do not have either of these in my orchidlibrary at the moment. They are:

Gongorana: Infrageneric Review of the Genus Gongora by Rod Rice (2003)
and an older monograph:
Monograph of the Genus Gongora by Roudolph Jenny (1993)

On Kew Garden's Monocot's Checklist, the list which serves as the official list of orchid species for the purposes of hybridization, the name Gongora gravaeolens does not appear, neither as a recognized species not as an obsolete synonym. Gongora galeata is listed but it's impossible to know without examining the flowers and plant if those plants labeled gravaeolens are galeata. Gongora galeata is fairly distinctive in its flower shape though so one might be able to make an educated guess.

Regarding Gongora tri-color, the proper name is Gongora fulva. Tri-color is an obsolete synonym for fulva.

I doubt that gravaeolens is a hybrid. Hybrid names to not take the same form as scientific names. Gravaeolens is in the form of a scientific name. I think gravaeolens is just a mistake.

Here's the Monocot's list of recognized Gongora species:

1. Gongora aceras Dressler, Orquideologia 6: 71 (1971).
2. Gongora alfieana R.Rice, Austral. Orchid Rev. 63: 14 (1998).
3. Gongora amparoana Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 19: 50 (1923).
4. Gongora arcuata G.Gerlach & Toulem., Orquideologia 22: 24 (2001).
5. Gongora armeniaca (Lindl.) Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 1: 52 (1854).
6. Gongora armeniaca subsp. armeniaca.
7. Gongora armeniaca subsp. cornuta (Klotzsch) Whitten, Lindleyana 6: 110 (1991).
8. Gongora aromatica Rchb.f., Allg. Gartenzeitung 22: 281 (1854).
9. Gongora atropurpurea Hook., Exot. Fl. 3: t. 178 (1825).
10. Gongora beyrodtiana Schltr., Orchis 1: 4 (1906).
11. Gongora bufonia Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 27: t. 2 (1841).
12. Gongora cassidea Rchb.f., Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 22: 298 (1864).
13. Gongora catilligera R.Rice, Oasis, Suppl. 2: 2 (2001).
14. Gongora charontis Rchb.f., Linnaea 41: 110 (1876).
15. Gongora chocoensis Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 41: 122 (1990).
16. Gongora claviodora Dressler, Orquideologia 7: 75 (1972).
17. Gongora colombiana Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 41: 123 (1990).
18. Gongora cruciformis Whitten & D.E.Benn., Brittonia 46: 230 (1994).
19. Gongora dressleri Jenny, Monogr. Gongora: 90 (1993).
20. Gongora dylaniana R.Rice, Gongorana: 29 (2003).
21. Gongora ecornuta Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 34: 67 (1983).
22. Gongora erecta Whitten & D.E.Benn., Brittonia 50: 186 (1998).
23. Gongora escobariana Whitten, Orquideologia 18: 110 (1991).
24. Gongora flaveola Rchb.f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 26: 456 (1886).
25. Gongora fulva Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 25: t. 51 (1839).
26. Gongora galeata (Lindl.) Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 1: 51 (1854).
27. Gongora galeottiana A.Rich., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., III, 3: 25 (1845).
28. Gongora garayana R.Rice, Oasis 1(4): 3 (2000).
29. Gongora gibba Dressler, Orquideologia 7: 72 (1972).
30. Gongora gratulabunda Rchb.f., Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 15: 157 (1857).
31. Gongora grossa Rchb.f., Gard. Chron. 1877(1): 781 (1877).
32. Gongora hirtzii Dodson & N.H.Williams, Lindleyana 4: 30 (1989).
33. Gongora histrionica Rchb.f., Bonplandia (Hannover) 2: 92 (1854).
34. Gongora hookeri (Klotzsch & H.Karst.) R.Rice, Oasis Suppl. 3: 21 (2004).
35. Gongora horichiana Fowlie, Orchid Digest 29: 247 (1965).
36. Gongora ileneana G.Gerlach & Heider, Revista Soc. Boliv. Bot. 3: 6 (2001).
37. Gongora ilense Whitten & Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 43: 270 (1992).
38. Gongora irmgardiae Jenny, Monogr. Gongora: 53 (1993).
39. Gongora lagunae G.Gerlach, J. Orchideenfr. 2: 164 (1995).
40. Gongora latibasis (C.Schweinf. & P.H.Allen) Jenny, Monogr. Gongora: 54 (1993).
41. Gongora latisepala Rolfe, Bot. Mag. 144: t. 8766 (1918).
42. Gongora leucochila Lem., Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 1: 207 (1845).
43. Gongora maculata Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 19: t. 1616 (1833).
44. Gongora maculata var. lactea Teusch., Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 35: 739 (1966).
45. Gongora maculata var. maculata.
46. Gongora meneziana V.P.Castro & G.Gerlach, Icon. Orhid. Brasil. 2: t. 146 (2006).
47. Gongora minax Rchb.f., Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 24: 385 (1866).
48. Gongora nigrita Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 25(Misc.): 59 (1839).
49. Gongora nigropunctata Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 9: 99 (1921).
50. Gongora odoratissima Lem., Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 2: 229 (1847).
51. Gongora pardina Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 36: 117 (1985).
52. Gongora passiflorolens R.Rice, Oasis 2(3): 13 (2002).
53. Gongora pleiochroma Rchb.f., Hamburger Garten- Blumenzeitung 16: 421 (1860).
54. Gongora portentosa Linden & Rchb.f., Gard. Chron. 1869: 892 (1869).
55. Gongora pseudoatropurpurea Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 41: 120 (1990).
56. Gongora quinquenervis Ruiz & Pav., Syst. Veg. Fl. Peruv. Chil.: 227 (1798).
57. Gongora retrorsa Rchb.f., Bonplandia (Hannover) 2: 19 (1854).
58. Gongora rosea (Cogn.) R.Rice, Oasis 2(3): 15 (2002).
59. Gongora rubescens R.Rice, Oasis 2(3): 14 (2002).
60. Gongora rufescens Jenny, Orchidee (Hamburg) 36: 116 (1985).
61. Gongora saccata Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 1: 52 (1854).
62. Gongora sanderiana Kraenzl., Gard. Chron. 1896(2): 456 (1896).
63. Gongora scaphephorus Rchb.f. & Warsz., Bonplandia (Hannover) 2: 98 (1854).
64. Gongora seideliana Rchb.f., Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 10: 637 (1852).
65. Gongora similis Rchb.f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 16: 816 (1881).
66. Gongora sphaerica Jenny, Monogr. Gongora: 96 (1993).
67. Gongora superflua Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 2: 169 (1873).
68. Gongora tracyana Rolfe, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1912: 133 (1912).
69. Gongora tridentata Whitten, Lindleyana 6: 109 (1991).
70. Gongora truncata Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 29(Misc.): 42 (1843).
71. Gongora unicolor Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 19: 299 (1923).

[Stitz]

Gongora is considered part of the Stanhopea sub-tribe according to the IOSPE (Jay Pfahl).

Perhaps, what we are discussing is Stanhopea graveolans? This is a widely held species which has a variety of pseudonyms, although none include Gongora.

--Stitz--

[kmarch]

Stitz,

Good point. Gongoras and Stanhopeas are in the same sub-tribe (Stanhopeinae) and there is a Stanhopea graveolans. The flowers are so strikingly different (Gongora, small, many flowers on a long pendant spike, Stanhopea, very large flowered, relatively few flowers on relatively short spikes) it suprises me that one could mistake one for the other. But I suppose anything's possible.

Claita, were the bulbs heavily ribbed? Gongoras tend to have heavily ribbed pseudobulbs while Stanhopeas have slightly ribbed pseucobulbs.

The IOSPE (Jay Pfahl) is a good example of a site to avoid for taxonomical/identification purposes. The info of that site has been contributed mostly by non-specialists and the accuracy of the submissions are not checked.

[clarita]

Thanks for the detailed info. I grow stans and this is a gongora. Its in spike(s) so I am a bit nervous about the culture...

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Nope, not Stanhopia graveolens. I got one of these Gongora graveolens from Oak Hill, and thought it might be the Stanhopia. But it bloomed out a typical gongora form, very bright yellow/orange and some darker spots/bars, and threw its spikes up over the side, not thru the bottom. I am having to edit my collection as 1000 plants seems to be about all I am going to want to have to repot each year. So, the Gongoras and the Stanhopias are on my list to eliminate from my collection if they don't really impress me when they bloom. The G. graveolens has already found a new home. I don't think I took a picture before selling it.

[kmarch]

clarita, if your mystery Gongora is in spike, then it must be finding something favorable about it's conditions so maybe you dont' need to be too concerned about its culture? Take a zillion pics form all angles both flower and plant and consider getting one of the Gongora books or contacting the guy who runs Hoosier Orchid Company (Hoosier Orchid Home Page). I can't remember his name at the moment but he specializes in the off-the-beaten-path stuff and he grows really a lot fo Gongora, even hybridizes them. If you sent him a flower or somethign he might be able to ID it though an ID form a taxonomist would be more reliable.

[donnas_orchids]

Originally Posted by Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

Nope, not Stanhopia graveolens. I got one of these Gongora graveolens from Oak Hill, and thought it might be the Stanhopia. But it bloomed out a typical gongora form, very bright yellow/orange and some darker spots/bars, and threw its spikes up over the side, not thru the bottom. I am having to edit my collection as 1000 plants seems to be about all I am going to want to have to repot each year. So, the Gongoras and the Stanhopias are on my list to eliminate from my collection if they don't really impress me when they bloom. The G. graveolens has already found a new home. I don't think I took a picture before selling it.

Cynthia's Gongora sounds alot like my Gongora fulva "Donna's Dream" AM/AOS. Are these not fabulous flowers and the scent is amazing.
Donna

[fred]

Donna
please read the PM that I have sent to you
thank you

[Stitz]

Donna,

I just stumbled onto this one. I'm really impressed with the species, especially your cultivar. For the benefit of others, I'm copying the description of your plant when awarded an AM/AOS in 2006:

Forty-eight cheery, bright yellow flowers and 18 buds on two pendent inflorescences; sepals bright yellow barred dark brown; petals light green finely barred brown; lip bright yellow, faded to off-white centrally; column pale green, finely barred brown; substance good; texture matte; wonderful spicy sweet fragrance.

--Stitz--