Pleurothallis tripterantha Rchb.f 1854 SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Tripteranthae Luer 1986 Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Inflorescence and leaf Photo courtesy of Dale and Deni Borders
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Common Name The Three Winged Pleurothallis [refers to the curved sepals]
Flower Size 3/8" [1 cm]
This creeping, miniature sized, epiphytic species is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina in wet montane forests at elevations of 900 to 2700 meters in altitude with a very short ramicaul carrying a single, apical, oblong, acute, gradually narrowing below into the conduplicate, petiolate base, coriaceous leaf that has a apical, racemose, horizontal to laxly pendulous, 2 3/4" [7 cm] longer than the leaf, loosely flowered inflorescence that has several, simultaneously opening flowers occuring in the late spring and summer.
Synonyms Anthereon tripteranthus (Rchb.f.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Humboldtia procumbens (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Humboldtia tripterantha (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Humboldtia tripterygia (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia procumbens (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia tripterantha (Rchb. f.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia tripterygia (Rchb. f.) Kuntze 1891; Masdevallia aperta Kraenzl. 1921; Masdevallia carpophora Kraenzl. 1921; Pabstiella tripterantha (Rchb.f.) F.Barros 2002; Pleurothallis aperta (Kraenzl.) Ames 1921; Pleurothallis hamata Rolfe ex Ames 1923; Pleurothallis hunteriana Schltr. 1922; Pleurothallis medellinensis Schltr. 1920; Pleurothallis procumbens Lindl. 1859; Pleurothallis trialata Cogn. 1896; Pleurothallis tripterygia Rchb. f. 1854; Scaphosepalum carpophorum (Kraenzl.) Garay 1967; Specklinia tripterantha (Rchb.f.) Luer 2004
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; *Bonplandia 2(2): 24. 1854; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 drawing; *Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 as P triperygia drawing;Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 668. 1891 as Humboldtia tripterantha; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 17: 20. Panama Schlechter 1922 as P hunteriana; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959 as P procumbens; Systematics of Pleurothallis Vol 3 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 553 Bennett & Christenson 1998; Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4 2001 as Antheron tripteranthus
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