Helonoma americana (C.Schweinf. & Garay) Garay 1980 publ. 1982

Drawing by © Dunsterville and Garay and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The American Helonoma

Flower Size .01" [2.5 mm]

Found in Bolivar, Amazonas and Rio Negro states of Venezuela, Guyana and Ecuador in montane forests and tepui summits usually on moist rocks along streams or in boggy places in full sun to semi-shade at elevations of 500 to 2000 meters as a miniature sized, warm to cool growing terrestro-lithophyte with thin, convolute in bud, in a basal rosette, green with darker green veins, broadly elliptic, obtuse, attenuate below into the pseudopetiolate base leaves that blooms on an erect, racemose, terminal, laxly 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence.

"Similar to Sarcoglottis stergiosii and Helonoma peruviana . Both are quite similar in habit and flower form and size but can be separated by the details of the lip and gynostemium structures. The lip of Sarcoglottis sterigiosii in more or less ribbon-like with prominent basal auricles, parellel to a wide claw. The lip of H peruviana is widest at the apex, with basal lip auricles .08" [2 mm] long, digitate, membraneous and with an ovate epichile which is subobtuse, thickened and densely covered with erect, fleshy hairs. The rostellum of Sarcoglottis stergiosii is eklo0ngate and truncate at the apex. with the viscidium produced on its upper surface. The rostellum remnant is truncate. The rostellum of H peruviana is long, lamellar, "W" shaped in cross section, eq ually three lobed at the apex with the middle lobe being completely merged into the relatively massive, large viscidium. The rostellum remant is shallowly notched." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019

Synonyms Beloglottis americana (C.Schweinf. & Garay) Szlach. 1996; Cyclopogon americanus (C.Schweinf. & Garay) Burns-Bal. 1982; Manniella americana C.Schweinf. & Garay 1962

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Bot. Mus. Leafl. 20: 5 C.Schweinf. & Garay 1962 as Manniella americana

Bot. Mus. Leafl. 20: 7 Fig II C.Schweinf. & Garay 1962 as Manniella americana drawing fide

Bot. Mus. Leafl. 28: 328 Garay 1980 publ. 1982 as Beloglottis americana

Amer. J. Bot. 69: 1132 Burns-Bal. 1982 as Cyclopogon americanus

Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 1 1969 as Manniella americana drawing fide;

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 5 Dunsterville & Garay 1972 as Manniella americana drawing fide;

Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 6 321 - 384 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1975 as Beloglottis americana;

Orchids of Venezuela An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Manniella americana drawing fide;

Fragm. Florist. Geobot. 41: 702 Szlach 1996 as Beloglottis americana

Orchids of Venezuela An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Second Edition Romero and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide;

Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 40 pg 2492 - 2564 Brieger 2000 drawing fide;

Flora of the Venezuelan Guyana Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 drawing good;

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia: 164 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia: 165 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2019 drawing

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