Sophronitis coccinea (Lindl.) Rchb. f. 1862
Plant on tree trunk at 900 meters in mist forest.
Several Plants on a tree in cloud forest
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Mauro Peixoto Copyrighted and his Brazilian Plants Website
Photo by © J A Fowlie
to 
Common Name The Scarlet Sophronitis
Flower Size 1 1/2 to 3" [3 to 7 cm]
A miniature sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte or sometimes lithophyte from southeastern Brazil [Rio de Janiero to Rio do Sul States] mainly in the tropical coastal forest [mata atlantica] that covers the coastal mountain range [Serra do Mar] at elevations of 650 to 1670 meters in warm to cool montane forests on slender moss covered trees or on rocks in sheltered or exposed conditions, with fusiform, closely packed pseudobulbs with a single elliptic, erect, coriaceous, 2 1/2" leaf with the midrib being a red line, that blooms in spring and again sometimes in the fall on an apical, erect to arching, 1.2" to 3" [3 to 7.5 cm] long inflorescence with a single non-fragrant, long-lasting flower.
Good ventilation, cool to cold temperatures, bright light and a wet environment with regular fertilizer year round will keep this minature plant thriving. This specfies in it's range has an average summer temperature of 80 degrees and a winter average of 45 degrees.
Synonyms *Cattleya coccinea Lindley 1836; Cattleya coccinea var. rossiteriana (Barb.Rodr.) Van den Berg 2008; Cattleya grandiflora [Lindley]Beer 1854; Eunannos coccinea [Lindley] Porto & Brade 1933; Hadrolaelia coccinea ( Lindl. ) Chiron & V.P.Castro 2002; Sophronia coccinea Kuntze 1891; Sophronia militaris Kuntze 1891; Sophronitis coccinea f. rossiteriana [Barb. Rodr.] Pabst & Dungs. 1972; Sophronitis coccinea var barboleta hort.; Sophronitis coccinea var grandiflora hort.; Sophronitis coccinea var insolaris hort; Sophronitis coccinea var militaris hort; Sophronitis coccinea var rossiteriana Hort; Sophronitis grandiflora Lindley 1837; Sophronitis lowii [Hort.]Curtis 1923; Sophronitis militaris Rchb.f 1861; Sophronitis rossiteriana Barb. Rodr. 1877
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1896 as S militaris drawing fide; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 photo fide; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 2 1957 as S grandiflora; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 2 1961 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 2 1961 as Sophronitis grandiflora photo fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 2 1966 as S grandiflora photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #7 1967 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 37 # 6 1968 as S grandiflora photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 37 No 11 1968 as S grandiflora photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 5 1970 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 #5 1970 as S coccinea var rosea photo not = S wiitingiana; Orchid Digest Vol 36 No 5 1972 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 37 No 4 1973 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 44 #9 1975 photo fide; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 1975 drawing fide; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 1975 as S coccinea var rossiterana drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 47 No 7 1978 as S coccinea var barbolleta photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 8 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 11 1980 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 11-12 633 - 752 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1981 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 5 1982 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 4 1981 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 46 No 5 1982 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 47 No 2 1983 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 12 1983 photo fide; Orchid Digest 51 Vol 1 1987 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 57 No 2 1988 photo; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide; Cattleyas and Their Relatives Withner Vol 3 1990 photo/drawing fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 2 1993 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 63 No 2 1994 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 58 No 4 1994 photo fide; Orchids of the High Mountain Atlantic Rainforest in SE Brazil Warren & Miller 1994 as S coccinea var grandiflora; AOS Bulletin Vol 64 No 7 1995 photo as S coccinea var grandiflora photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 No 6 1996 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 11 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 #1 1999 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 #1 1999 as S coccinea var aurea photo fide; Orchid Australia Vol 12 No 2 2000 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 6 2000 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 7 2000 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 7 2001 drawing fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 ; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 7 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 5 2004 as S coccinea var xanthocheila photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 71 No 1 2007 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 10 2009 photo fide; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #4 2010 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #6 2010 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #12 2010 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #6 2011 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species Parsons & Garritsen 2013 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 78 #1 2014 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 78 #4 2014 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #1 2014 as Cattleya sophronitis photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #4 2014 photo fide; Orchids of Tropical America an introduction and guide Meisel 2014 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #1 2016 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #2 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #3 2016 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #8 2016 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 7 2017 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #5 2019 as Cattleya coccinea drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #4 2019 as Cattleya coccinea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #10 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #2 2020 as Cattleya coccineaphoto fide
Sophronitis coccinea f. rossiteriana (Barb.Rodr.) Pabst & Dungs 1972
Photo by J A Fowlie
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 47 #7 1978 photo fide; Orchid Digest 55 Vol 4 1991 photo fide;
Sophronitis coccinea (Lindl.) Rchb. f. 1862 var flava
Photos by David Jubineau
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 52 # 12 1983 photo fide; Cattleyas and Their Relatives Withner Vol 3 1990 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 78 #4 2014 as Cattleya coccinea var aurea photo fide;
Sophronitis coccinea var lobbii hort. ex Decker
Photo by Mauro Rosim of Brazil
A pure yellow variety from Brazil.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 3 1983 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 12 1983 photo;
Sophronitis coccinea var xanthoglossa
Photo courtesy of Oliver Lenhard
A yellow lipped variety of the normal species.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
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