Homalopetalum alticola (Garay & Dunst.) Soto Arenas 2007

Drawing by © Garay & Dunsterville

Common Name The High Living Homalopetalum [refers to the plants high elevation habit]

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Amazonas state of southern Venezuela in light cloud forests to open shrublands or on riverbanks at elevations around 1200 to 1800 meters as a mini-miniiature sized, cool growing epiphyte with globose to somewhat fusiform smooth, free of sheathing, pale green to pale brown, sometimes pink flushed pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly rigid, ovate, finely flecked with purple over green, acute leaves that blooms on an erect, terminal, to .8 to 1" [to 2 to 2.5 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence with 4 tubular, acuminate bracts and an inflated shorter than the ovary floral bract.

"Differs from others in the genus by the very small flowers with a broadly elliptic to suborbicular lip with a shortly apiculate lip , minutely erose margins and a disc with a transverse callus." Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023

Synonyms *Pinelia alticola Garay & Dunsterville 1965; Pinelianthe alticola [Garay & Dunsterville] Rauschert 1983

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1965 as Pinelia alticola drawing fide;

Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as Pinelia alticola drawing fide;

Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 8 449 - 512 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1976;

Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Pinelia alticola drawing fide;

Feddes Repert. 94: 465 Rauschert 1983 as Pinelianthe alticola;

Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 drawing fide;

Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 as Pinelianthe alticola drawing fide;

Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 as Pinelianthe alticola drawing fide;

Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 as Pinelianthe alticola drawing fide;

* Neodiversity 2: 8 Soto Arenas 2007;

Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:364 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 drawing fide

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