Cyrtochilum tetracopis

Synonyms: Oncidium tetracopis Rchb.f., Gard. Chron. 27: 915. 1873.

Type: Colombia. Collected by Baldeviama, Bull 234 (holotype: W).

Illustrated specimen: Colombia. Santander, Municipality of La Belleza, 2530 m, 31 May 2017. N. Gutiérrez & S. Moreno 61 (JBB; LCDP Voucher).

Cyrtochilum tetracopis is found from Ecuador to Venezuela, but it is most frequent in the cloud forests of the eastern Andes of Colombia, growing as epiphytic or terrestrial at elevations above 2300 meters. It can be related to other large species with long, climbing inflorescences bearing numerous simultaneous, brown and yellow flowers, such as Cyrtochilum baldeviamae (Rchb.f.) Kraenzl., C. annulare (Rchb.f.) Kraenzl., C. serratum (Lindl.) Kraenzl., and C. aemulum (Rchb.f. & Warsz.) Kraenzl., among others. Cyrtochilum tetracopis can be distinguished by the sepals unguiculate with auricles at the base, the extended, strongly undulate petals, lip sub-pandurate without lateral lobes and column with a pair of small, lacerate wings.