Brachionidium piuntzae Luer 1995

Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra Website

EARLY

Common Name or Meaning The Rio Piuntzae Brachionidium [southeastern River in Ecuador]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Morona Santiago province of southeastern Ecuador in forests at elevations around 1850 meters as a miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with a relatively stout, occasionally branching rhizome enveloped by 2 to 3, tubular, long-mucronate sheaths giving rise to a suberect ramicaul enveloped by 2 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect to suberect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute, 7 veined, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the early summer on a slender, erect, .8 to 11" [2 to 2.5 cm] long, arising from near the apex of the ramicaul, with a bract near the middle, .8 to 1" [2 to 2.5 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence with an inflated, acute, mucronate, as long as to slightly shorter than the ovary floral bract and carrying a yellowish green, non-resupinate flower.

"Distinguished by the erect habit, large, tailess, transluscent yellow-green flowers, falcate petals and a transversely ovate lip not unlike that seen in many other species. Closest to Brachionidium andreettae but distinguished by the obtuse, non-cucullate synsepal and sigmoid-shaped petals." Luer 1995

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 1 1994 Dodson drawing fide; * Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XII Systematics of Brachionidium Luer 1995 drawing fide; Flora Of Ecuador # 76 225[2] Dodson & Luer 2005;

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