Curtis Botanical – Plate 8809 – Crested Odontoglossum Orchid

Original antique black-and-white print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine — Plate 8809.

A Colombian cloud-forest orchid bearing sprays of white to cream flowers with a distinctive crested lip (cristatum). One of the most elegant of the Odontoglossum alliance, prized by Victorian cool-house orchid collectors who competed fiercely to acquire the finest Colombian species.

Colombian and Ecuadorian heritage.

Uncolored plate. Condition consistent with age of volume. Each print is a unique piece of botanical history, printed on paper aged over a century.

This plate originated with the Royal Horticultural Society and passed through Wheldon & Wesley, one of the great natural history dealers of the 20th century. We came into the archive by accident and have spent the time since trying to share it as widely as we can.