Stelis inedita Luer & R.Escobar 2017 SECTION Humboldtia

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Unknown Stelis [refers to the substance deposited within the sepals as well as other parts of the inflorescence]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Norte de Santander department of Colombia at elevations around 2570 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, relatively stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose tubular sheath below the middle and 1 to 2 others below and at the base and carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, erect, elliptical, obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on 1 to 2, arising through a spathe from below the apex of the ramicaul, peduncle .8" [2 cm] long, rachis 4 to 6.4" [10 to 16 cm] long, erect, strict, congested, secund, mostly simultaneously, many flowered flowered inflorescence with oblique, obtuse, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying flowers with glabrous light yellow-green sepals with multiple irregular deposits of unknown substance, and a light yellow-green central apparatus.

"This large species of section Humboldtia, found in both the Eastern and Central Cordillera of Colombia, is not remarkable except for small, irregular, scattered deposits of an unidentified substance found within the sepals, floral bracts and rachis. The inflorescence is a secund raceme with sepals 4–5 mm with the lateral sepals lightly adherent or partially connate into a concave synsepal. Both the sepals and petals are 3-veined. The lip is type A, obtuse and with a glenion." Luer & Escobar 2017

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 22: 48 Luer & R Escobar 2017 drawing fide

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