Acostaea tenax Luer & R. Escobar 1982
Photo By © Lisa Thoerle
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Tenacious Acostaea [refers to the restraining arms of the column foot]
Flower Size .12" [3mm]
Found in Colombia in rainforests at elevations around 2550 to 2840 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with ascending to erect, slender ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 thin, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical or narrowly elliptical to narrowly obovate, subacute to obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, to suberect, loose, successively many [to 16] flowered, racemose, to 2.2" [to 5.5 cm] long, slender inflorescence with thin floral bracts.
This species has the largest plant and flowers of the genus and also is the species that grows the highest in elevation of the genus.
Synonyms Specklinia tenax (Luer & R. Escobar) Pridgeon & M.W. Chase 2001
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *
Orquideologia Vol 15 #2-3 1982 drawing/photo fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol IV Systematics of Acostaea, Condylago and Porroglossum Luer 1987 drawing fide;
Native Colombian Orchid Vol 1 COS 1990 photo ok;
Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 drawing/photo fide
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