Elleanthus ampliflorus Schltr. 1924 SUBGENUS Elleanthus
Plant and Flower in situ Reserva Mesenia, Jardin Antioquia Colombia
Photos by Jay Pfahl
Photos by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website
Drawing by S Nowak
Common Name or Meaning The Large Flowered Elleanthus
Flower Size to 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Antioquia, Valle de Cauca Colombia and Imbabura province of Ecuador at elevations of 1300 to 2500 meters as a large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial on clay roadbanks with a branching, rigid, terete, glabrous, delicate stem carrying 6 to 8, erect-patent, plicate, coriaceous, slightly furfuraceous beneath, glabrous above, elliptic-lanceolate, obtusely acuminate, plicate, 5 nerved, tridentate, cuneate below leaves that blooms on a terminal, subpatent to arcuate-decurved, shortly pedunculate, 3.2" [8 cm] long, disitchous, fractiflex, laxly 4 to 6 flowered inflorescence with oval, obtuse to apiculate floral bracts.
The only species in the subgenus elleanthus with glabrous, floral bracts, ovary and pedicel. It is distinguished as well by the ligulate-ovate and obtuse floral bracts. The species also has the widest leaves of the subgenus.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
*Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 27: 13 Schlechter 1924
Beitrage Zur Orchideenkunde Von Colombia 27:13 Schlechter 1924;
Flora Brasilica Vol XII II 13-43 Hoehne 1945;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2001 drawing hmm/photo fide;
Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 photo fide;
Flora of Ecuador No 87 225[3] Orchidaceae Dodson & Luer 2010 drawing hmm;
Orchids of the Department of Valle de Cauca Colombia Vol 1 Kolanowska & Szlachetko 2012 drawing good/photos fide;
Orchids of the Darien Gap Kolanowska 2014 drawing good; Orquideas de Farallones de Cali Galindo-Tarazona, Haelterman, Zuluaga Trochez and Sebastian Moreno 2020 photo fide;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:209 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 drawing fide
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