Scaphosepalum merinoi Luer 2002 SECTION Scaphosepalum
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo by © Milan Vagner
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name Merino's Scaphosepalum Ecuadorian Collector of species current]
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found in Zamora-Chinchipe province of Ecuador at elevations around 1400 meters as a miniature sized, cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped basally by a basal tubualr aheatha and another above and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute, narrowly cuneate below into the long petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a loose to distichous, arising from low on the ramicaul, slender, verrucose, 4 3/4" [12 cm] long, successively several flowered, racemose inflorescence with shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Similar to Scaphosepalum gibberosum but characterized by the narrow petiolate leaves and a coarsely verrucose, more or less horizontal peduncle. The tail of the dorsal sepal is thick and elongate, the cushions of the synsepal are triangular with rounded bases abruptly contracted into slendre tails more than twice as long as the synseal. The petals are dilated on the labellar margin. The lip is arcuate and subpandurate witha suborbicular, minutely erose apical lobe. Across the middle is a tall pair of fringed lamellae." Luer 2002
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIV A First Century Of New Species of Stelis of Ecuador Part One Luer 2002 pg 110 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #11 2012 photo fide
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