Hi there,
I'm having trouble finding information on this orchid. I'm thinking I'm not reading it right. Can anyone tell me what this stands for, "proch cochleata alba." Thank you
Hi, D&S
You have got the type of the species (the one with purple hood). So the correct name is Prosthechea cochleata alone. The term "var." stands for "variety" and is used when the clone is not typical. In the previous case, the hood is creamy white denoting an albino variety (or alba, although not technically correct).
This plant was once known as Encyclia cochleata (also as Epidendrum cochleatum, if memory serves me well), but now the accepted name is Prosthechea cochleata.