Platystele papillosa Luer 1994

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Papillose Platystele [refers to the densely papillose lip]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found Cauca department of Colombia in paramo cloudforests at elevations around 3000 to 3500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, thin, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, subacute to obtuse, narrowly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, arising laterally on the ramicaul, peduncle 1.2 to 1.8" [3 to 4.5 cm] long, slender, rachis 2.8" [7 cm] long, loose, flexuous, distichous, successively single, few flowered inflorescence with thin, shorter than the pedicels floral bracts.

"This species was discovered by Consul Lehmann in the 1800's in two different but nearby paramos in the nineteenth century. Apparently it has not been recollected. It is distinguished by the medium sized habit, narrowly elliptical, petiolate leaves, with the peduncle a little longer. The raceme is flexuous and loosely successively flowered. The flowers are very small with ovate, acute sepals and narrowly triangular petals. The shallowly channeled lip is ovate, acute and densely cellular-papillose. The colors of the flowers were not stated. Lehmann’s second collection cited above was mixed with Pleurothallis setigera Lindl. The color notes here seem to apply to the latter, a much larger-flowered species. ." Luer 1994

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XI Systematics of Lepanthes Subgenus Brachycladium and Pleurothallis Subgenus Aenigma, Subgenus Elongata and Subgenus Kranzlinella Luer 1994 Drawing fide;

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