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Useful Tropical Plants

Selenipedium chica

Rchb.f.

Orchidaceae

+ Synonyms

Cypripedium chica (Rchb.f.) Pfitzer

Selenipedilum chica (Rchb.f.) Pfitzer

Common Name:

Selenipedium chica
Illustration of the flowers and leaves
Photograph by: Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach
Public domain
Selenipedium chica Selenipedium chica

General Information

Selenipedium chica is a large, terrestrial orchid growing up to 4.5 metres tall. This is the largest orchid plant in the Americas.
The pods are gathered from the wild for use as a vanilla-like flavouring.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Range

S. America - northern Peru, Ecuador to Panama in Central America.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Perennial
Height4.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Requires a shady position[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

The seedpods are used as a vanilla-like flavouring[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
469
Title
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol. 27
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Smithsonian Institute; Washington.
Year
1928
ISBN
 
Description
Contains a Flora of the Panama Canal zone
]. The seedpods are up to 10cm long[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Division, after flowering[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Selenipedium+chica>

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