Lepanthes heptapus Luer & R.Escobar SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Mucronatae Luer 1996
TYPE Photo by Rodrigo Escobar/TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer The Epidendra Webpage
LATER 
Common Name The Seven Footed Lepanthes [refers to the lobes of the petals and appendix]
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia at elevations around 2000 to 2100 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 5 to 8, microscopically scabrous lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, suberect, coriaceous, subconduplicate, lanceolate, truncate apex conspicuously tridentate, gradually narrowing below into the base leaf that blooms in the spring on a filiform,congested, secund, .52 to .6" [1.3 to 1.5 cm] long including the .32 to .4" [8 to 10 mm] long peduncle, successively single, few flowered inflorescence arising on top of the leaf.
There are three Colombian species with similar filiform segments to the petals, L aguirre differs in its larger flower size and caudate sepals, L hexapus differs in its wider ovate leaves and a lip with a much shorter, ovoid appendix and L skeleton which differs in the broader leaves, very long pedicellate, disitichous racemes, almost completely connate lateral sepals and a lip with a thick appendix shorter than the blades .
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * AOS Bulletin Vol 52 # 12 Luer & Escobar 1983 Drawing/photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 Drawing/photo fide;
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