''Restrepiella ophiocephala'', commonly called the Snake's head restrepiella is an

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

native to

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 ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The epithet ''ophiocephala'' is derived from the Greek words ὄφις, ''ophis'' (snake) and κεφαλή, ''kephalē'' (head). ''Restrepiella ophiocephala'' grows from a short, creeping

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

as a tufted, robust

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

to a length between 8 and 35 cm. The stout, cylindrical

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

is erect and about 15 cm long and has a tubular bract. The fleshy, oblanceolate

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are 8 to 18 cm long and have a short petiole. The tiny single

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s have a length of about 2 cm. They grow from the base of the leaves, one at a time, on up to four clustered

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s. They have a pale yellowish-brown color, dotted with dull purple spots. The outer surface is downy. The obovate, dorsal

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

is erect, while the lateral sepals are fused (

synsepal A synsepal is a floral structure formed by the partial or complete fusion of two or more sepals. Such sepals are said to be gamosepalous. It is common among Lady's Slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae Cypripedioideae is a subfamily of orchids comm ...

s) with a small split at their apex. The elliptic

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are much shorter and with ciliated margins. The fleshy lip is tongue-shaped. It occurs in damp forests alongside rivers at low altitude (40-1,600 m). The flowers are in bloom from winter to spring and are strongly scented.Stevens, W. D., C. Ulloa Ulloa, A. Pool & O. M. Montiel. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in systematic botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i–xlii,.

References

External links

* *
Photos from Belize Botanical Gardens
* ttp://www.yonggee.name/Notes/Restrepiella_ophio.htm Orchid photographs by Gary Yong Gee, ''Restrepiella ophiocephala''br>Lankaster Epidendra, ''Restrepiella ophiocephala''Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, Orchid of the Day: June 5, 2014, ''Restrepiella ophiocephala'' Czech Botany, ''Restrepiella ophiocephala''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10359927 Epiphytic orchids Orchids of Florida Orchids of Mexico Orchids of Central America Orchids of Belize Orchids of Colombia Plants described in 1838 Pleurothallidinae Flora without expected TNC conservation status