Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical

mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the
most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant
walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the
continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes
of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity
of flora and fauna.
Platystele stenostachya

platystele genus

Machu Picchu bears, with Cuzco and the other archaeological sites of the valley of the Urubamba
(Ollantautaybo, Runcuracay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupamarca, Huiay Huayna, Intipucu, etc.) a unique
testimony to the Inca civilization. Cuzco and the old villages still retain traces of land occupation from the
Inca Empire to preserve, in a more global manner, an archaeological heritage which has become
susceptible to the effects of urbanization. Furthermore, Macchu Picchu is an outstanding example of
.man's interaction with his natural environment
Standing 2,430 m above sea level, in the midst of a tropical mountain forest in an extraordinarily beautiful
setting, Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height. Its
giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock
escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon
.basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna

Orchids of Machu Picchu - Benjamn Collantes

In ancient Peru, orchids had great relevance with relation to other species. For example, in 3,000
B.C., the Chavin culture already knew and appreciated a plant which they called huaganku. This
plant was later identified as Masdevallia amabilis, a terrestrial, lithophyte orchid (it grows on rocks)
of a beautiful intense fuchsia color and very variable size.
Similarly, as Inca Garcilaso de la Vega states in his monumental work, The Incas: Royal
Commentaries, the Incas also knew and appreciated a plant which they called huiay huayna. In
fact, the flower of this small orchid was used as a military badge by Incan nobility. The chronicler
also tells how during the ceremony in which the young Inca was integrated into the Cusquenian
.military elite, a leaf of this plant was placed on his head

Platystele stenostachya

Research on this plant carried out by this author proved its existence and found references of it
made by Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello in 1942-1943, who also named the archaeological
compound behind the Machu Picchu Mountain after it. Its scientific denomination is Epidendrum
secundum and its inflorescence presents flowers with 2.5 to 3cms of diameter, and its many colors
vary from white to yellow, orange, red or intense fuchsia.
Nevertheless, only two decades ago very little was known about the orchids of Machu Picchu. Yet,
one of the first investigations carried out between 1999 and 2000 by biologists Marco Len and
Benjamn Collantes offered interesting reports and new registrations for science, such as the
Bulbophylum machupicchuense, Epidendrum pseudogramineun, Ponthieva collantesii, Maxillaria
scandens and Odontoglossum machupicchuense species.

Telipogon Peru

Pleurothallis

Ongoing research has meant greater achievements in

terms of knowledge of orchid diversity in the Machu
Picchu Historic Sanctuary, and allowed us to state that
their diversity is outstanding. All these novelties were
published by the author (a member of the Inkaterra
Research Group) in the book Orchids in the Inkaterra
Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (2007), a publication that
reports 38 new registrations and two new species for
the science
From 2007 to the date, the patient but continuous
research on the orchids found in the Sanctuary has
allowed to reach almost one hundred new records for
Machu Picchu. Despite these findings it is still not
possible to establish with precision the amount of
species present in the protected area, but estimates
take into consideration some 500 species, the majority
of which are epiphytes (they grow on plants), and the
.remaining terrestrial and lithophyte species

Sobralia dichotoma

This effervescence of discoveries has contributed to

increase the interest of tourists to learn about the
orchids of Machu Picchu. Albeit this, ecotourism focused
on orchids has still not been exploited in a rational
manner except for the initiatives of Inkaterra, OrientExpress and other small but interesting botanical
gardens. There is great potential in the observation of
this spectacular plant group in their natural habitats.
Something worthwhile mentioning is that a good part of
them can be observed along the traditional Inca Trail,
mainly on the stretch from Sayacmarca to
Phuyupatamarca. However, one of the best places to see
the orchids of the Sanctuary is indeed, the lower section
of the Inca Trail, from km. 88 to km. 107, between Wiay
Wayna and Machu Picchu. In this stretch we can observe
over 50 genuses, and over 100 species with the added
value of the fascinating landscape beauty of the
Vilcanota River valley. Undoubtedly, the best time to
observe orchids in this habitat is during the rainy season
(from December to April).

Epidendrum aff. secundum

Recently, a new discovery is adorning the richness of the Sanctuary; the Masdevallia antonii, which, with
a floral diameter of 18cms is one of the most fascinating species. Still, for certain people, only the mere
fact of learning about new registrations and species could be considered just mere curiosity.
But, if we integrate adequately all the information regarding the specie and its habitat, it becomes evident
that Machu Picchus extraordinary biodiversity makes it one of the biggest germplasm banks of Peru,
and one of the many natural universities of the world. For some, among which I include myself, much of
this has occurred thanks to the vision of the future of the Incas, who left us this citadel anchored amongst
the steep summits of the fascinating cloud forest, the reign of orchids.

Pleurothallis penduliflora

Masdevallia antonii

/http://www.machupicchu360.org/machu-picchu/libro/machu-picchu-canto-piedra
Song of stone

Sobralia orchids

Pleurothallis cordata, its name recalls the heart shape of the leaf.
The flowers are circa 1-1,5 cms high.

The gallo-gallo (Masdevallia veitchiana) it is the representative flower of

.Machu Picchu; its name means you will cry

Masdevallia veitchiana

Cryptocentrum inaequisepalum

Phragmipedium caudatum

Phragmipedium Grande

Phragmipedium caudatum

Pleurothallis scabrata, with characteristic inflorescence of abundant flowers.

Telipogon antisuyuensis. Its labellum presents a hairy callous, a structure which, from an
evolution point of view, allows attracting the pollinating agent (a hairy fly) which pollinates the
flower by pseudo copulation. This species is greatly depredated by poachers within the Historic
Sanctuary.

Lepanthes alticola

Maxillaria alpestris.

Masdevallia agaster

Masdevallia antonii
Masdevallia tovarensi

Cyrtochilum minax is the species

which presents one of the biggest

inflorescences since they can
measure up to 3-4 in length and
wind their way around tree
branches. The flower measures
usually 5 cms. in diameter.

O. Praestans

Chondrorhyncha aurantiaca.

Sudamerlycaste cinnabarina

Elleanthus capitatus

Sudamerlycaste cobbiana

Cryptocentrum inaequisepalum

Sudamerlycaste diastasia

Neofinetia falcata

Kerferstenia koechlinorum epiphyte species, another of

.the coriander orchids due to its smell

Telipogon venustus

Delicadas flores de Wiay Wayna (Epidendrum aff. Secundum), siempre joven en

quechua, una de las orqudeas representativas del Santuario.

Machu Picchu, Cusco

Pleurothallis schiedei

Sobralia dichotoma

Sobralia xantholeuca

Habenaria medusa.

Habenaria radiata variegata

Fuentes:
http://es.inkaterra.com/en/nature/publications/orchids-mpph
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274/video
http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/plantguides/guide_pdfs/181-02.pdf
http://www.machupicchu360.org/machu-picchu/entorno/flora-machupicchu/orquideas.php
http://www.machupicchu360.org/machu-picchu/galeria-fotos-machu/picchu/flora/175/machu-picchu-cusco
/http://www.flickriver.com/photos/weissalberich/popular-interesting

Clarita y Efraim
Chefetze@netvision.net.il