Lepanthes rhodophylla Schltr. 1921 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes Series Mucronatae 1996 Photo courtesy of Lisa Thoerle

Leaf Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

Common Name The Red Leafed Lepanthes

Flower Size .4" [1cm]

Found in Ecuador at elevations of 1300 to 1400 meters as a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with stout, erect, ramicauls enveloped basally by 13 to 30, long-acuminate, glabrous, lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, thinly coriaceous, bent from the axis of the ramicaul, subplicate, purplish, elliptical, subacute, long-acuminate leaf that is cuneate below into a petiole that blooms in the spring on an erect, congested, distichous, 1" [2.5 cm] long, successively many flowered, racmose inflorescence. One of the larger species in this genus.

Also related to L abitaguae, L pelyx, L corrugata, L ortegae and L pilosaures.

There are 3 other species within Cololmbia that are very similar, L janitor, L posadae and L agglutinata which all have petals subequal in length and an uncinate process between the lobes.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten III Ecuador Schlechter 1921; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes and Lepanthes Luer 1996 drawing fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide

Checked Luer OK

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