Pleurothallis melanochthoda Luer & Hirtz 1996 SUBGENUS Acianthera [Scheidw.] Luer 1986
Photos by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name or Meaning The Black Warted Pleurothallis [refers to the black spotted leaves]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Morona-Santiago province of eastern Ecuador and Peru in wet montane forests at elevations around 1050 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing, repent epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 1 to 2, inflated, sheaths and carrying a single, apical, prostrate, thickly coriaceous, elliptical, subacute, green with numerous black warty spots, the base broadly cuneate into the sessile base leaf that blooms in the spring on a very short, arising from the base of the leaf through a crested, loose spathe, single flowered inflorescence with thin, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Related to P testifolia but easily identified byu the creeping habit with rigid, elliptical leaves covered by small, black warts. Although superficially similar to P testifolia, the sepals are exremely thick and very acute instead of obtuse and rounded. The petals and lip are basically similar, but the calli of the lip are erect and well developed and the fimbriate margins of the lip are less developed." Luer 2007
Also similar to P deuterohirtzii in ed. but it differs with its smaller habit with leaves with unraised spots, instead of warts; shortly acuminate sepals; narrowly oblong petals; and a lip with greatly reduced spicules." Luer 2013
Synonyms Acianthera melanochthoda (Luer & Hirtz) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Apoda-prorepentia melanochthoda (Luer & Hirtz) Luer 2004
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Lindleyana 11: 169 Luer 1996 drawing fide;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:244 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Acianthera melanochthoda;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 photo good;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVI Pleurothallis subgenus Acianthera and Three Allied subgenera, A Second Century of new Species of Stelis of Ecuador, Epibator, Ophidion and Zootrophion Luer 2004 as Antilla melanochthoda;
Icones Pleurothallidiane A Third Century of Stelis Systematics of Apoda-Repnetia Vol XXIX Luer 2007 as Apoda-prorepentia melanochthoda
Icones Pleurothallidiane A Third Century of Stelis Systematics of Apoda-Repnetia Vol XXIX Luer 2007 as Apoda-prorepentia melanochthoda drawing fide;
Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo good as Acianthera melanochthodes;
Harvard Papers in Botany, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 173 to 196 2013 MISCELLANEOUS NEW SPECIES IN THE PLEUROTHALLIDINAE (ORCHIDACEAE) Carlyle A. Luer & Lisa Thoerle as Apoda-prorentis;
A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species Parsons & Gerritsen 2013 as Acianthera melanocthodes photos fide;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera melanochthoda photo fide
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