Habenaria contrerasii R.González & Cuev.-Fig. 2010
TYPE Drawing by J. R. González and Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010
LATE
EARLY 
Common Name Contreras' Habenaria [Ignacio Contreras Villaseñor, Mexican Botanical collector current]
Flower Size
Found in Jalisco state of Mexico in holm oak forest, at elevations around 2400 meters as a small sized, cold growing terrestrial with a vertical, ovoid, finely and unequally rugose, pubescent tuber giving rise to an erect, cylindrical stem carrying seven, leathery, rectilinear, regularly distributed, sheathing, the first two reduced to infudibuliform sheaths, the next two producing a short blade, those that continue to ascend, rectilinear, almost equal to each other, the latter shorter and narrower, the most wide below, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, green, with three main nerves, the central one raised and prominent, the hyaline edged leaves with the sheaths very short, leaving the stem exposed on the upper part that blooms in later summer and early fall on an erect, terminal, rectilinear rachis, 4.8" [12 cm] long, in a cylindrical, loose cluster, to 15 flowered inflorescence with conduplicade, concave, coverung the ovary and spur, the apex incurved, lanceolate, acuminate, hyaline edged, the lowermost longer than the flowers, shorter above floral bracts.
"Habenaria contrerasii is similar H. filifera , but differs in the 11.4" [28.5 cm] tall plant, The first leaves reduced to sheaths, the next two produce short, infudibuliform lamina, the following ascending, rectilinear, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, the floral bract longer than the first flowers and exceeds the ovary above; the dorsal sepal .28" [7 mm] long, .16" [4 mm] wide; the narrow lanceolate, acuminate lateral sepals, are .28" [7 mm ]long, .08" [2 mm] wide; the linear- oblong, posterior lobe of the petals, attenuated at an acuminate apex, .28" [7 mm] long, .08" [1 mm] wide; the acute rounded anterior lobe of the lip is .32" [8 mm] and .02" [0.5 mm] wide; the side lobes are .4" [10 mm] long, .02" [0.5 mm] wide; the linear, acute, middle lobe is .36" [9 mm] long, .04" [1 mm] wide; the acuminate nectary .56" [14 mm] long and .048" [1.2 mm] wide, approximately the same length as the ovary, and the canals of the anther exceed the stelidia by .004" [0.1 mm]. Habenaria contrerasii is a close relative of H cortesii but differs in the adhered leaves, larger above, the larger ones located below the middle of the plant, at the bottom ellipticals, towards the apex lanceolate, narrower and shorter, the largest 1.8" x .56" [4.5 cm long, 14 mm] wide; the inflorescence with about eight flowers; with triangular-lanceolate floral bracts, attenuated from below the half, dorsal sepal elliptic, subtruncated, obtuse, with apiculum, ca. .228" [5.7 mm] long, .16" [4 mm] wide, the edges glandular; the ovade-lanceolate lateral sepals; posterior lobe of petals are triangular, acuminate, .176 x .6" [4.4 mm long, 1.5 mm] wide; the anterior lobe about .28" [7 mm] long, the obtrapeziform labellum, .06 x .06" [1.5 mm long, 1.5 mm] wide; the rounded, side lobes cintiform, the middle lobe oblong, dimly attenuated below the apex, rounded, the claviform nectarie, and the collateral, incurved anther channels." Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández 2010
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1: 79 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010 drawing fide;
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