Stelis villifera Luer 2002 SECTION Stelis

TYPE drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name The Villous Haired Stelis [refers to pubescence of the sepals]

Flower Size .08" [2 mm]

Found in Carchi province of Ecuador at elevations around 2050 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by a tubular sheath on the middle third and 1 to 2 others at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical-ovate, subacute to obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, peduncle 1.2 to 2" [1.5 to 4 cm] long, arising through a slender spathe .32" [8 mm] long, from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, rachis 2.2 to 3.6" [5.5 to 9 cm] long, secund, congested, simultaneoulsy many flowered inflorescence with infundibular, oblique, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying flowers with dull light green, expanded, glabrous externally, densely villose within sepals, the bright green transversely elliptic petals and a bright green thickly subquadrate lip.

"The species is distinguished by the caespitose habit with slender ramicauls that are distinctly longer than the elliptic-ovate, petiolate base leaf, which are surpassed by a raceme twice as long. The raceme is slender and congested with minute flowers that are long villous within. The petals are transversely oblong and thin and the lip is oblong and obtuse, longer than wide and with a pubescent callus at the base." Luer 2002

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV A First Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV A First Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002 Drawing fide

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