Stelis nikiae Luer & Hirtz 2007 SECTION Stelis
Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name Niki's Stelis [Ecuadorian daughter of Alexander Hirtz, Co-collector of species current]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Tungurahua province of Ecuador at elevations around 3000 meters as a small sized, cold growing, ascending prolific epiphyte with stout, erect, prolific ramicauls enveloped by a tubular sheath below the middle and 2 to 3 imbricating others at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, arising through a spathe near the apex of the ramicaul, subdense, distichous, to 7.2" [to 18 cm] long including the 1.2" [3 cm] long peduncle, successively 2 to 3, many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter to longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying dark purple-brown flowers with the central apparatus a lighter purple-brown.
"Characterized by sometimes prolific ramicauls, a petiolate, elliptical leaf and a slowly successively flowered raceme with both fruit and flowers simultaneously. The floral bracts are conspicuous, the acute tips of the sepals recurve and the proportionally large, transversely callous petals and lip has a protruding bar that protrudes from the plane of the flower." Luer 2007
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Luer 2007drawing fide;
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