Stelis maxima Lindl. 1845

SUBGENUS Stelis Duque 2008

S maxima and S purpurea in same photo Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding

Common Name The Large Stelis

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Not sure with this determination. The second photo shows both Stelis purpurea and Stelis maxima.

Found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in dwarf forests at elevations around 1700 to 3200 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, close set ramicauls enveloped by basal sheaths and another inflated one in the upper third and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptic-oblong to broadly oblong, striated, obtuse to subobtuse, tridenticulate, narrowing abruptly into the petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect, 6 to 10" [15 to 25 cm] long, distichous, racemose, laxly many flowered inflorescence arising through a small spathe and with cucullate, apiculate to infundibular-navicular floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate flowers.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Schweinfurth 1970; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 drawing good; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing good; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing good; Orquideas Nativas del Tachira Cesar Fernandez 2003 photo fide; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003; Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008;

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