Stelis trichorrhachis Rchb.f. 1855 SECTION Stelis
Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Hair-Like Raceme Stelis [refers to the thin raceme]
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru at elevations around 2000 to 2500 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing, repent epiphyte with an ascending, erect, stout ramicaul enveloped by a tubular sheath below the middle and 2 to 3 others towards the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical-obovate, subacute, cuneate below into the slender petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, arising through a narrow spathe from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, sublax, distichous, flexuous, to 2 to 4.8" [5 to 12 cm] long including the .6 to .8" [1.5 to 2 cm] long peduncle, simultaneously several, many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying flower with sepals that are greenish white in the outer half, purple on the inner half, purple petals and a purple lip.
"Distinguished by the thick, repent rhizome with erect ramicauls; longer long-petiolate leaves and a sublax, flexuous raceme shorter than the leaves. Morphologically the flowers arte practically identical to S argentata." Luer 2009
Synonyms Stelis rhizomatosa Schltr. 1921
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 71 Rchb.f 1855
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 9: 69 Schlechter 1921 as Stelis rhizomatosa ;
Orchids of Peru Vol 1 Schweinfurth 1958 as S rhizomatosa;
Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 4 Dunsterville & Garay 1966 drawing not = S pygmaea;
Flora de Venezuela Volumen XV Parte 2 Foldats 1970 drawing ok;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as S tachirensis not drawing not = S pygmaea;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing ok;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador part IV Luer 2009
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador part IV Luer 2009 drawing fide
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------