Pleurothallis minutalis Lindl.1859 SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Muscosae Lindl. 1842

Another Angle Photo courtesy of Noble Bashor.

Common Name The Insignificant Pleurothallis

Flower Size 1/4" [5 mm]

Michoacan Mx. as well as Guatemala, 2023m elev., 9.5 klm south of Uruapan, in old lava beds,

Found in Jalisco, Michoacan, Guerrero and Chiapas states of Mexico as well as Guatemala at elevations of 1500 to 2200 meters as a creeping, mat forming, mini- miniature sized, cool growing, epiphyte on trees or lithophyte with near full sun. This diminutive species in found as small tufts or moss-like pads high up in trees so often goes un-noticed and has very short, slender, erect to relining ramicauls carrying a single, apical, elliptic, obtuse, tridenticulate or emarginate apically, gradually narrows below into the short, petiolate base leaf that blooms on 1 to several, 3/8 to 3/4" [1 to 2 cm] long, racemose, few [1 to 3] flowered inflorescence arising from the apice of the ramicaul, that has the flowers open in successsion and are held at mid-leaf, occuring in the winter.

In my experience this species is extremely small and easily overlooked in the wild, as it comes from open, tall forests with the plants growing in the upper branches and usually are only found on newly felled timber. One of my favorite plants to show friends the diversity of orchids, this on the small end of orchids and Grammatophyllum speciosum on the other.

Synonyms Anathallis minutalis (Lindl.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Humboltia minutalis (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Palmoglossum crassifolium Klotzsch 1856; Panmorphia minutalis (Lindl.) Luer 2006; Pleurothallis crassifolia Rchb.f. 1850; Specklinia minutalis (Lindl.) Luer 2004;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 drawing; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 Orchidaceae Mc Vaugh 1985; Systematics of Pleurothallis Vol 3 Luer 1986; Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4 2001 as Anathallis minutalis; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVI Luer 2004 as Specklinia minutalis; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Panmorphia minutalis drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum fascile 10 plate 1001 Hagsater & Soto 2008 as Anathallis minutalis drawing ok; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Panmorphia minutalis drawing ok

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