Dracula nigritella Luer 2002 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Parviflorae

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIV A First Century Of New Species of Stelis of Ecuador Part One Luer 2002

LATE

Common Name The Little Black Dracula

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador as a small sized, densely caespitose epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying an erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, narrowly linear-elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below in to the conduplicate, indistinct petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late summer on a horizontal to descending, arising from low on the ramicaul, 2.8" [7 cm] long, congested, successively few flowered inflorescence with a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract.

" Similar to Dracula anthracina but differs in the smaller, deep purple-brown , nearly black sepals are smaller that those of D anthracina with shorter tails. The petals with rounded black, prickly apices are larger than the column. The shallowly concave epichile of the lip contains about 4, tortuous lamellae on either side. The lamellae are as tall as the non-incurved edges of the epichile." Luer 1993

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIV A First Century Of New Species of Stelis of Ecuador Part One Luer 2002 drawing fide; Flora of Ecuador No 87 225[3] Orchidaceae Dodson & Luer 2010;

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