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

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

native to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The epithet ''ophiocephala'' is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

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 Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

as a tufted, robust

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

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

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

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

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

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

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

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 In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

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 synsepalous or gamosepalous. It is common among lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae) that the two lateral sepals a ...

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

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are much shorter and with ciliated margins. The fleshy

lip The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

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

* * *
IOSPE orchid photos, ''Restrepiella ophiocephala'' by J.Pfahl
* ttp://www.epidendra.org/taxones/Restrepiella/Restrepiella%20ophiocephala/# Lankaster Epidendra, ''Restrepiella ophiocephala''br>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