Lepanthes felis Luer & R. Escobar 1983 SUBGENUS Marsipanthes SECTION Felinae Luer 1986
Closer View in situ Parque Nacional de Tatama' Choco Colombia 8/17
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Carlo Balistrieri
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
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Common Name The Cat-Like Lepanthes [refers to the flower]
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Antioquia, Risaralda and Choco departments of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations of 1900 to 2500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with erect to suberect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 8 minutely ciliate, lepanthiform sheaths carrying a single, apical, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, elliptical, subacute leaf with the base cuneate into the petiole and suffused with purple on the underside that blooms in the late spring and summer on a congested, 4" [20 cm] long, successively several-flowered, racemose inflorescence with floral bracts with the flowers being held near or just beyond the length of the leaf.
This species needs high humidity, constant watering and fertilizer to thrive well. This species readily produces keikis on the inflorescence.
"The large flower is borne near or beyond the tip of the leaf. The concave sepals are connate into a deep, sepaline cup from which the tips of the oblong, green petals are visible." Luer 1996
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR CHECKED Type OK; * AOS Bulletin Vol 52 #12 Luer & Escobar 1983 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 9 1984 photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991 photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 photos fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 64 No 10 1995 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 62 #2 1998 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 483 Bennett & Christenson 1998; Orchid Australia Vol 12 No 2 2000 photo; Orquideologia Vol 24 #2 2006 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #6 2011 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 drawing/photo fide;
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