Pleurothallis pfavii Rchb.f. 1886 SUBGENUS Empusella Luer 1986
Photos by © Karremans and Pupulin and The Epidendra Orchid Website
Drawing by F. Pupulin & E. Winkel and Phytotaxa 63:11 A reconsideration of the empusellous species of Specklinia (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) in Costa Rica Pupulin, Kerremans and Gravendeel 2012
LATE
EARLY 
Common Name Pfau's Pleurothallis [Swiss Orchid Collector in Central America 1800's]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Costa Rica and Panama in moist lowland forests at elevations around 500 meters as a miniature to small sized, hot growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 glumaceous, slightly loose, ancipitous, acute, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, subcoriaceous, elliptical, minutely retuse, margins ancipitious, narrowing below into the conduplicate, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late fall and early winter on an erect to subarching, congested, strongly fractiflex rachis, to 25.2" [63 cm] long including the 11.2" [28 cm] long, flattened, ancipitous peduncle, successively to 30+ flowered inflorescence arising laterally from the apex of the ramicaul with 3 to 4 distant, tubular-amplectent, ancipitous, apically subuncinate, acute bracts and an infundibuliform, subuncinate laterally, ovate, abaxially ancipitous, subacuminate floral bract.
"The combination of bright yellow flowers with red petals, the yellow with a central red line, acute lip, and the rounded, not apiculate petals, distinguish S. pfavii from other members of the P. endotrachys complex." Karremans & Pupulin 2012
P pfavii, is part of the P endotrachys complex and is often cited as a synonym of P endotrachys all in a group of closely related species which include P deuterodunstervillei, P deuteroremotiflora, P spectabilis, P juddii, P fulgens, P guanacastensis and P montezumae.
Synonyms Kraenzlinella platyrachis [Rolfe]Rolfe 1915; Masdevallia platyrhachis Rolfe 1888; Pleurothallis platyrhachis [Rolfe]Rolfe 1890; Specklinia pfavii (Rchb.f.) Pupulin & Karremans 2012;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Flora 69 (n. s. 44): 555. Rchb.f 1886;
Gard. Chron. 4(86): 178–179. Rolfe 1888 as Masdevallia platyrachis;
Orchid Rev. 23: 326 Rolfe 1915 as Kraenzlinella platyrachis;
The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen pg 230 1946 as P pfavii syn of P endotrachys;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;
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 Specklinia pfavii;
Phytotaxa 63: 8. Pupulin & Karremans 2012 drawing/photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #5 2019 as Specklinia pfavii photo fide;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Specklinia pfavii photo fide
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