Dear all,
Recently I have visited the illusive Mount Roraima, one of Venezuela table mountains (Tepuis). On my way to the mountain and at the mountain plateau I have found many amazing plants including 20-25 orchid species. By this forum I would like to share some of my pictures and hopefully you can be of help to identify some of the orchids. Next to the beautiful plants there were also stunning views on steep cliffs and some of the highest waterfalls of the world.
In the lowlands (the Gran Sabana), near a small river I found this beauty: Otostylis lepida (probably)
A little higher up (ca 1300 m ASL), in the grassland I stubled across this big terrestial orchid
Close to the Mt Roraima base, in more humid environment a Koellensteinia orchid was growing. Initially I identified it as K. kellneriana but this one seems to be slightly different: it has greenish flowers (not white), the stripy pattern extends further into the "throath" at the lower lip and there are leaf like structures underneath every flower.
In the same area a Habernaria (?) was growing:
At the edge of the cloudforest: Galleotia burkei
In the cloudforest several Maxillaria orchids like this one were flowering (sorry for the photo quality). Another species was completely yellow/green of color.
Also in the cloudforest:
IMG_0581.jpg picture by werfj - Photobucket
Epidendrum secundum: One of the most abundant orchids at the plateau (but also in the cloudforest), present in colors from white via pink to red.
Another Epidendrum (E. imthurmii)
And yet another (unidentified) Epidendrum
The largest individual orchid flower I have seen at the plateau: Maxillaria quelchii
From the largest to the smallest: a tiny litophytic, unidentified, orchid growing at the cliff's edge (a few cm's further was a drop of a few 100 meters:
Hope you enjoyed
John
Orchids of (mt) Roraima
Threaded Mode
