SPOTTED CYRTOPODIUM 



Cyrtopodium punctatum (Linnaeus) Lindley 



Few of the truly tropical orchids afford so brilliant a display of 

 large and brightly colored flowers as does this plant, which is one of 

 the showiest of all the orchids native in the United States. It grows 

 abundantly in the cypress swamps of southern Florida, the huge 

 plants with their large club-shaped pseudobulbs, often a foot long, 

 forming dense clumps on the larger tree trunks. It is associated with 

 smaller orchids, coarse ferns, bromeliads, and epiphytes of other 

 groups. The graceful flower panicles, spreading or drooping from 

 the tree trunks, are usually three feet long and sometimes much 

 longer. The flowers, which recall those of the genus Oncidium, sug- 

 gest a cloud of butterflies hovering over the foliage. 



The spotted cyrtopodium has been in cultivation in England for 

 a hundred years. Besides its occurrence in Florida, it has a wide range 

 in the American tropics, extending through the West Indies and 

 from Mexico to Brazil. 



The specimen sketched was collected at Coot's Bay, Cape Florida, 

 Florida. 



PLATE 2.12. 



