Lepanthes pelorostele Luer & Hirtz 2009 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes

TYPE drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra Website

Common Name The Huge Column Lepanthes

Flower Size .08" [2 mm]

Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador at elevations around 400 meters as a mini-miniature sized, hot growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 8 to 9, microscopically ciliate lepanthiform sheaths with oblique apices and carrying erect, thinly coriaceous, elliptical-ovate, contracted below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect to arching, loose to congested, 1" [2.5 cm] long, successively single, many flowered inflorescence.

" L vargasii is similar to Lepanthes pelorostele Luer & Hirtz but L vargasii is distinguished by the orange, ciliate sepals on the exterior margins of the lateral sepals (vs. white and glabrous), the larger petals (the longest (lower) lobe 2 mm, vs. 0.5 mm long) and the larger lip (1.0 vs. 0.3 mm long), that is placed at the column apex (vs. placed basally)" Vieira and Moreno 2018

"Lepanthes pelorostele resembles the Ecuadorian species, Lepanthes equus-frisiae,L scrotifera and L rigidigitata, the Colombian species L abortiva, L vargasii, L eros, L isoceles, L micellilabia and L niphas and the Costa Rican L posthon and L spadariae

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX 2009. Luer Drawing fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide; * Lankesteriana 17: 227 Moreno Vieira & Karremans 2017 drawing/photo fide;

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

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