Brachionidium vasquezii Luer 1984

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra Website

LATER

Common Name or Meaning Vasquez's Brachionidium [Bolivian Orchid Collector current]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Cochabamba and La Paz departments of Bolivia in wet forest within deep humus at elevations around 2800 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial with an erect, stout, occasionally branching rhizome enveloped by 3 tubular, mucronate, shaggy, cellular appendages giving rise to a stout, suberect ramicaul enveloped by 2 mucronate sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, to suberect, coriaceous, elliptic, acute, 5 to 7 veined, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the later spring on a slender, erect, arising from near the apex of the ramicaul, provided with a mucronate bract near the middle, .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence with an inflated, acute, mucronate, enveloping both the pedicel and ovary floral bract.

"Plants of this little species grow erect in fully exposed, deep, loose moss at the base of dripping wet embankments at high elevations where frosts are frequent during July and August. The erect, long, slender peduncle arises far above the highest leaf to bear the proportinally large, purple striped flower." Luer 1984

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Phytologia 55: 177. Luer & Vasquez 1984; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Systematics of the Pleurothallidinae Vol 1 1986 drawing fide; Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 202 Dodson & Vasquez 1989 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XII Systematics of Brachionidium Luer 1995 drawing fide; Orchids of Bolivia Vol 1 Vasquez & Ibisch 2000 photo/drawing fide;

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