''Coilostylis falcata'', formerly ''Epidendrum falcatum'', is an orchid in the genus ''

Coilostylis ''Coilostylis'' is a genus of orchids. It was split off from the "supergenus" ''Epidendrum'' in 2004 although the Kew currently does not recognize this genus. This genus features pseudobulbs, large bracts around the flowers, and flowers that a ...

'', a genus recently resurrected and split from ''

Epidendrum ''Epidendrum'' , abbreviated Epi in the horticultural trade, is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,500 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name (from Greek ''επί, epi'' and ''δένδρο ...

''. This

lithophytic Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...

wildflower is native in the western

cordillera A cordillera is an extensive chain and/or network system of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly us ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. growing on rocks and cliff faces. This brittle plant propagates itself through fallen pseudobulbs. The thick,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

leaves are long and unusually pendent, growing up to 30 cm from a reduced

pseudobulb The pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed heteroblastic and ...

The large, snow-white flowers grow from a shorter flower spike in overhanging tufts of no more than three flowers. These flowers are fragrant at night. They bloom in late spring.

Synonyms

* ''Epidendrum parkinsonianum'' var. ''falcatum'' (Lindl.) Ames & C.Schweinf, 1935 . * ''Epidendrum falcatum'' (Lindl.) Withner & P.A.Harding, 2004

References and external links

* Rhodehamel, W. A.,(2004). ''Epidendrum parkinsonianum: a lanky epiphyte for hobbyists with plenty of space.'', Orchids. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5141488 falcatum Orchids of Mexico