Scaphosepalum zieglerae Baquero 2017 SECTION Leiocaulium Luer 1988
Photo/TYPE Drawing by Luis Baquero
LATE 
EARLY 
Common Name Ziegler's Scaphosepalum [Susann Ziegler Annen, of Switzerland, important donor and promoter of Ecominga Foundation’s Dracula Reserve, Ecuador, who made it possible to purchase and protect large areas of primary forest hosting this new species and many other species current]
Flower Size .44" [1.1 cm]
Found in Carchi province of Ecuador at elevations around 1700 to 1800 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enclosed by 2 to 3 sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, subplicate, long-petiolate, caudate, the blade elliptical, narrowing below into the petiolate base laef that blooms in the late summer and early fall on a loose, flexuous, arising from low on the ramicaul, peduncle slender, faintly verrucose, horizontal, 4.4 to 7.2" [11 to 18 cm] long, 4.8 to 8" [12 to 20 cm] long overall, successively single, several to many flowered inflorescence with thin, conspicuous, longer than the pedicel, conduplicate, acuminate floral bracts.
"Scaphosepalum zieglerae is recognized among the species of Scaphosepalum by a unique combination of characters: the large, long petiolate, dark-green leaves, the caudate leaf apex and, specially, the flowers with spiky tails and dark blood-red colored lip. Scaphosepalum zieglerae looks superficially similar to S. beluosum, mainly because of the long petiolate plants and lateral inflorescences. In addition, it seems that S. zieglerae and S. ophidion could be related because they share long flexuous racemes with conspicuous acuminate bracts, fimbriate tails of the synsepal and the oblong-subpandurate lip. Scaphosepalum zieglerae shares with S. fimbriatum Luer & Hirtz the fimbriated sepaline tails, but it differs from the latter species by the size of the plants, the shape and length of the leaves, and the size and general morphology of the flowers" Baquero 2017
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * LANKESTERIANA 17(2): 305 Baquero 2017 photo/drawing fide;
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