Pleurothallis quadrifida [La Llave & Lex]Lindley 1842 SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Acuminatae Lindley 1859 Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler
Photos courtesy of Jay Pfahl
Inflorescence and Plant Photo courtesy of David Koenst
Plant and Flowers in situ Costa Rica Photo courtesy of Wilfried Löderbusch
MOSTLY 
and 
Common Name The Four-Fold Slitted Pleurothallis
Flower Size 1/4 to 1/2" [7 to 9 mm]
This small to just medium sized, hot to cool growing epiphytic or occasional lithophytic species is found in the Jamaica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela at altitudes up to 1800 meters in wet, exposed locations often in scrub forest with erect, terete, ramicauls carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, linear to oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, retuse and obtuse apically leaf, gradually narrows belwo into the conduplicate, petiolate base and blooms mostly in the summer on an apical, erect, simple, to 15" [38 cm] long, simultaneously opening, many flowered, inflorescence subtended by a compressed sheath with the sweetly scented flowers held all to one side of the inflorescence which extends well above the leaves. Grow in a pot or mounted with semi-shade and give cool to hot temperatures with year round moisture and good air movement.
Synonyms Anathallis racemiflora (Lindl. ex Lodd) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001*Dendrobium quadrifidum La Llave & Lex. 1825; Humboldtia incompta (Rchb. f.) Kuntze ?; Humboldtia longissima (Lindl.) Kuntze ?; Humboldtia nicaraguensis (Rchb. f.) Kuntze ?; Humboldtia quadrifida (Lex.) Kuntze; Humboltia incompta (Rchb. f.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia longissima (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia nicaraguensis (Liebm.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia quadrifida (Lex.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia racemiflora (Lindl. ex Lodd.) Kuntze 1891; Loddigesia quadrifida (La Llave & Lex.) Luer, 2006; Physosiphon nicaraguensis Liebm. 1853; Pleurothallis ghiesbreghtiana A. Rich. & Galeotti 1845; Pleurothallis ghiesbreghtiana var. cleistogama L.O.Williams 1951; Pleurothallis incompta Rchb. f. 1854; Pleurothallis longissima Lindl. 1859; Pleurothallis lyroglossa Schltr. 1910; Pleurothallis nicaraguensis (Liebm.) Rchb. f. 1861; Pleurothallis niederleinii Schltr. 1918; Pleurothallis racemiflora Lindl. ex Lodd. 1825; Pleurothallis tricostata Cogn. 1912; Specklinia quadrifida (Lex.) Luer 2004; Stelis nicaraguensis (Liebm.) Solano & Soto Arenas 2002 publ. 2003; Stelis quadrifida (Lex.) Solano & Soto Arenas 2002 publ. 2003; Stelis racemiflora Lodd. ex W.Baxter 1839; Stelis racemiflora (Pridgeon & M.W.Chase) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Stelis superposita Schltr. 1915
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; *Edwards's Bot. Reg. 28: Misc. 70. 1842; Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 668. 1891 as Humboldtia quadrifida; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 as P racemiflora; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1123 Dodson 1984; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 Orchidaceae Mc Vaugh 1985; Systematics of Pleurothallis Vol 3 Luer 1986 as Pleurothallis racemiflora; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 as Specklinia quadrifida
