Pleurothallis excavata Schltr. 1923 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Lindl 1859 Photos courtesy of Danny Lentz ©, plant grown by Atlanta Botanical Garden

Common Name The Hollow Pleurothallis [refers to the deep cavity in the lip]

Flower Size .3" [3mm]

Found in Costa Rica and Panama at elevations of 1300 to 1500 meters as a miniature sized, warm growing epiphyte with slender, erect, suberect or horizontal ramicauls enveloped basally by 1 to 2 tubular sheaths and another on the lower half and carrying a single, apical, suberect, rigid, thickly coriaceous, ovate, subacute to obtuse, basally broadly cuneate and sessile leaf that blooms in the winter on a fasiculate, short, succession of single flowered inflorescence arising through a spathe at the base of the leaf and has a thin tubular floral bracts and a non-resupinate flower

Characterized by the thickly coriaceosu, sessile leaves carrying a wide open , non resupinate flower reating at its base. The flowers have seplas that are spotted and suffussed with purple, a deeply cucullate synsepal, subcarinatepetals that curve to either side of the ovoid, deeply concave, apiculate lip.

Synonyms Acronia excavata [Sclechter] Luer 2005; Pleurothallis concaviflora C.Schweinf. 1937; Pleurothallis imago Luer 1977; Zosterophyllanthos excavatus (Schltr.) Szlach. & Kulak 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 287. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVII Systematics of Dryadella and Acronia Section Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia excavata drawing fide; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2006 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 9 2007 photo; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 5 Morales 2009 photo fide;

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