Stelis sanctae-rosae Luer & Hirtz 2002 SECTION Stelis
TYPE drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Sancta Rosa Stelis [refers to a town in southwestern Ecuador]
Flower Size .24" [6 mm]
Found in El Oro province of Ecuador in relatively low forests remnants at elevations around 850 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm growing, densely caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2 tubular sheaths and another at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute to subacute, gradually narrowing below into the indistinct petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect, peduncle 1.2 to 1.6" [3 to 4 cm] long, arising from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, rachis 1.6 to 2" [4 to 5 cm] long, congested, secund, sublax, mostly simultaneously, many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying purple flowers with expanded, , connate basally, glabrous externally, coarsely pubescent within, broadly ovate sepals, transversely oblong, subtruncate petals and a subquadrate lip.
"The species is distinguished by the small, caespitose habit, elliptic leaves longer than the ramicauls and a slender, congested, secund raceme of very small flowers. The sepals are broadly ovate and coarslely pubescent, the petals are transverse, thin and concave and the lip is shallowly subquadrate." Luer 2002
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Pleurothallis subgenus Acianthera A Second Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002 Drawing fide
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