Stelis obescula Luer & R.Escobar 2017 SECTION Stelis

TYPE Drawing by © Calr Luer

Common Name The Little Fat Stelis [refers to the thick floral parts]

Flower Size .16" [4 mm]

Found in Santander department of Colombia at elevations around 2800 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing, densely ascending-caespitose epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by loose tubular sheath below the middle and 1 to 2 others below and at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coricaeous, elliptical, subacute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, arising through a spathe from below the apex of the ramicaul, peduncle 1.6 to .8" [1.5 to 2 cm] long, rachis 4.8 to 6.8" [12 to 17 cm] long, erect, distichous, congested, mostly simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with tubular, obtuse, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying yellow-white, glabrous flowers.

"This strong species is characterized by a densely ascending-caespitose habit with a thick rhizome and stout ramicauls with overlapping leaves. Two or three long, congested racemes bear numerous, minute, fleshy flowers with obtuse, 3-veined sepals and concave, single-veined petals. The minute, fleshy lip is concave below a thick bar." Luer 2017

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 22: 53 Luer 2017 drawing fide

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