Cyrtopodium

Cyrtopodium

Cyrtopodium andersonii

Cyrtopodium andersonii is the better known species of the genus, and certainly the one with the broader distribution range. It seems that anywhere you have mountains with large portions of exposed and not very steep ledges the species is to be found. Just to give an idea, the species is found inside Rio de Janeiro City just a few dozen ft. above se level. Then, it is found on the Organ Mountains, again on exposed ledges, but this time to about 3000 ft. elevation (and everywhere in between from sea level). Then, it is found in the State of Rondonia (Amazon Region), growing on similar types of ledges.

The branching inflorescences can be more than 5' tall and produce dozens of yellow flowers that are about 1 1/2" across. These are sometimes irregularly spotted with red, especially around the lip callus, and also sometimes have a brownish cast on the outside of sepals. The plants themselves can produce large clumps up to several feet across. In Brazil, the species is usually grown outdoors in gardens, as its size make it quite ill-suited for pots. .As with most Cyrtopodium species, plants of C. andersonii produce flowers just after the rainy season starts, by the end of Winter and start of Spring. Inflorescences are produced at the same time as the new growths start, and as they develop so much faster, when the flowers start to open the new growths are usually about 1' or less tall.