Platystele imperialis Archila, Chiron & Szlach. 2016

Photos by © Plant Rolando Machorro/Flower Eric Hagsater

LATER

Common Name The Imperial Platystele [dedicated to the Imperial City of Coban de Carlos V in Guatemala]

Flower Size .068" [1.7 mm]

Found in Guatemala at elevations around 600 to 1000 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm, repent growing terrestrial with short ramicauls enveloped by white, papery, tubular, acute sheaths and carrying an eplliptic to sub-orbicular, concave, rounded apically leaf that blooms in the later spring on an erect, short, .56" [1.4 cm] long, alternate, several flowered inflorescnece with globose, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying transparent yellow flowers with an opaque yellow lip.

Similar to P ovalifolia but differs in the orbicular leaves vs elliptic, the globose bracts vs adpressed, the orbicular lateral speals vs oblong with rounded apex, the orbicular oblong petals vs linear-elliptic to linear-obovate and the elliptic-orbicular labellum vs oblong, acute apically.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI * Richardiana XVI 241 Archila, Bertolini, Szlachetko and Chiron 2016 drawing/photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018

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