Barkeria

Epidendreae subtribe Laeliinae

Epiphytes or lithophytes with coarse roots. Loosely caespitose or somewhat creeping by the production of new growths from nodes above the basal node on the stem. Pseudobulbs erect, terete to narrowly cigar-shaped, leafy. Leaves alternate, distichous, deciduous. Inflorescences terminal, pedunculate, racemes or panicles. Flowers nodding, somewhat cupped. Sepals and petals free, spreading, subsimilar or with wider petals, the petals cuneate-clawed. Lip unlobed, convex to strongly convex, strongly appressed to the column at the base, with basal callus, sometimes with a minutely saccate base. Column fleshy, usually with large wings; pollinia 4, separating as two pairs on separate caudicles.

Honoring English horticulturist George Barker who imported and flowered the first Barkeria.

A genus of 14 species restricted to Mesoamerica with a center of diversity in Mexico.

1 Lip concave, with pigmented veins. 2 1' Lip flat, convex (with the sides deflexed along the midvein) or very shallowly concave, without pigmented veins. 3 2(1) Flowers with the sepals and petals cream-colored; inflorescences usually panicles. B. obovata 2' Flowers with the sepals and petals pink; inflorescences usually racemes. B. naevosa 3(1') Flowers deep magenta with only the callus and(or) column apex yellow. 4 3' Flowers variously pale whitish pink to rose pink, with various contrasting markings in addition to the callus and apex of the column. 5 4(3) Lip obtuse-rounded to truncate. B. cyclotella 4' Lip acute. B. skinneri 5(3') Lip apex dark purple or with a large subapical dark purple patch. 6 5' Lip apex not differently colored or not dark purple. 8 6(5) Callus keels prominent, extending to nearly the lip apex. B. lindleyana 6' Callus keels absent or not extending beyond the column. 7 7(6') Petals as wide as the sepals; column to 0.5 in. (1.4 cm) long. B. barkeriola 7' Petals wider than the sepals; column to 0.8 in. (2 cm) long. B. uniflora 8(5') Flowers concolor pale rose pink. B. halbingeri 8' Flowers not concolor, with various markings on the sepals, petals or lip. 9 9(8') Lip flat with minutely warty callus keels; sepals and petals with fine reddish spots. B. palmeri 9' Lip convex by the sides deflexed along the midvein; sepals and petals not spotted. 10 10(9') Column upturned and free from the lip at the apex. B. melanocaulon 10' Column appressed to the lip for its length. 11 11(10') Petals lanceolate, subsimilar to the dorsal sepal. B. spectabilis 11' Petals elliptic-ovate, wider than the dorsal sepal. 12 12(11') Lip obovate, to 0.8 in. (2 cm) long. B. dorotheae 12' Lip elliptic-ovate, 1.3 in. (3.3 cm) long. B. lindleyana

Cohen, S. H. 1990. Epidendrum, the neglected genus. Part VI. Barkeria. Orchid Rev. 98(1157):77-80, 87; Epperson, J. V. 1963. A few notes about Epidendrum lindleyanum. Orchid Digest 27(9):407-411; Halbinger, F. 1973. The genus Barkeria. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 42(7):620-626; Halbinger, F. 1973-1974. Monograph of the genus Barkeria. Orquídea (Mex.) 3(1-12): 13-20, 37-44, 77-83, 99-109, 131-137, 163-168, 195-199, 227-233, 265-271, 299-305, 38-382; Halbinger, F. 1975. Barkeria schoemakeri, a new orchid from the state of Michoacán. Orquídea (Mex.) 4(10):296-297; Halbinger, F. 1976. Barkeria dorotheae, sp. nov.: a new addition to the Mexican orchid flora. Orquídea (Mex.) 6(2):44-46; Halbinger, F. 1977. Diagrammatic synthesis of the genus Barkeria (Orchidaceae). Brittonia 22:239-302; Hunt, D. G. 1996. Barkeria ?strophinx, a natural hybrid between Barkeria naevosa and Barkeria palmeri. Orchid Digest 60(4):181; Salazar, G. and J. Arguijo 1993. Notas sobre Barkeria obovata (Orchidaceae: Laeliinae) en Veracruz. Orquídea (Mex.) 13(1-2):195-200; Soto Arenas, M. A. 1993. Barkeria melanocaulon y Barkeria whartoniana. Orquídea (Mex.) 13(1-2):233-244; Soto Arenas, M. A. 1993. Barkeria fritz-halbingeriana. Orquídea (Mex.) 13(1-2):245-248; Thien, L. B. 1973. Barkeria halbingeri, a new species of orchid from Oaxaca, Mexico. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 42(5):421-422; Thien, L. B. and R. L. Dressler 1970. Taxonomy of Barkeria (Orchidaceae). Brittonia 22(4):289-302.