Lepanthopsis culiculosa Luer 1984 SUBGENUS Lepanthopsis SECTION Lepanthopsis
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
Common Name The Mosquito Lepanthopsis [refers to the flower size]
Flower Size .08" [2 mm]
Found in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia at elevations around 2000 to 2500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with an erect, slender, occasionally proliferating another ramicaul enveloped by 3 to 6, minutely ciliate lepanthiform sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, narrowly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on a filiform, subdense, distichous, .8 to 2.2" [2 to 5.5 cm] long, simultaneously several to many flowered inflorescence arising near the apex of the ramicaul.
"Similar to L steyermarkii but the longer leaves and longer, straight, densely flowered racemes distinguish L culiculosa. Both species have very small single veined sepals. L culiculosa is also similar to L vinacea but the former has ecaudate sepasls on an extremely reduced scale." Luer 1984
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Phytologia 55: 197. Luer & Vasquez 1984; Icones Pleurothallidinarum VIII Systematics of Lepanthospsis, Octomeria subgenus Pleurothallopsis, Restrepiella, Salpistele and Teagueia Luer 1991 drawing/photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide
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