Stelis vigax Luer & R.Escobar 2016 SECTION Labiatae

TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name The Vigorous Growing Stelis

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Antioquia department of Colombia at elevations around 2400 meters as a small sized, cold growing, densely caespitose epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose tubular sheath below the middle 2 others below and at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, elliptical, subacute, cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, peduncle 4" [10 cm] long, arising through a slender spathe from a node at the apex of the ramicaul, rachis 4 to 10" [10 to 25 cm] long, strict, distichous, loose below to congested above, mostly simultaneoulsy many flowered inflorescence with oblique, obtuse, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying glabrous flowers with green speals suffused with purple and a light purple central apparatus.

"Stelis vigax is a large, densely caespitose species with stout ramicauls and large, acute, elliptical, subpetiolate leaves and a long raceme that is loosely flowered below. A flower remaining at the apex of a maturing ovary, gradually doubles in size. The sepals are ovate and seven-veined, the petals are thick and three-veined. The lip is a shallow type C with a narrow glenion extending from near the base over the rounded bar. The apex is subtruncate with a minute apiculum." Luer 2016

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Harvard Pap. Bot. 21: 89 Luer & Escobar 2016 Drawing fide

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

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