Stelis palifera Luer & R.Escobar 2017 SECTION Stelis

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer TYPE

Common Name The Scoop Bearing Stelis [Refers to the lip shape]

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Norte de Santander department of Colombia at elevations around 2300 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by a loose, tubular sheath below the middle and others below and at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, ellipical, acute to subacute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on 1 to 2, simultaneous, erect, arising through a spathe from a node below the apex of the ramicaul, peduncle 1.2 to 1.6" [3 to 4 cm] long, rachis 2.8 to 4.8" [7 to 12 cm] long, erect, distichous, loose, strict, mostly simultaneously several flowered inflorescence with oblique, obtuse, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying finely pubescent, yellow green flowers .

"The habit of this medium-sized, caespitose species with a many-flowered inflorescence longer than the leaf is similar to a myriad of other species, but the flowers with antrorse, more or less connivent lateral sepals, and the scoop-like lip are distinctive. The margins of the recurved sides of the obtuse apex of the lip are smooth and not thickened. A low, shelf-like bar lies cross the center." Luer 2016

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 22: 55 Luer 2017 drawing fide

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------