Octomeria peruviana D.E.Benn. & Christenson 1998 Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Peruvian Octomeria

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Ecuador and Peru at elevations of 600 to 1200 meters as a medium sized, warm to cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 7 to 8, deciduous, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, erect, coriaceous, narrowly ovate, sharply acute apically, cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall, winter and spring on an erect, peduncle less than .04" [1 mm] long, arising at the apex of the ramicaul, successively single, few flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary floral bract and carrying light yellow flowers with a somewhat darker colored lip.

"The species is closely allied to O grandiflora but larger plantwise and may just be a large vegetative variation. The rhizome is thick and ascending to caespitose while O grandiflora is densely caespitose without thick rhizome. The ramicaul at times reaches 16" [40 cm] long, and the bnarrowly ovate, acute, lef can add another 12" [30 cm]. The large flowers closely resemble O grandiflora and large plants of O grandiflora grade into O peruviana to the point that it is up to personall judgement as to which species may be represented." Luer 2010

Synonyms Octomeria boliviensis var. grandifolia C.Schweinf. 1942

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXI Luer 2010 Drawing fide;

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