Lepanthes bifalcis Luer 1983 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Bilabiatae

TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer © and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

THROUGH

Common Name The 2 Sickle Lepanthes [refers to shape of the lobes of the petals]

Flower Size .08” [2 mm]

Found in Imbabura and Napo provinces of Ecuador on the eastern slopes of the Andes in cloud forests at elevations of 1250 to 2150 meters as a miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with slender, suberect ramicauls enveloped completely by 6 to 8 minutely scabrous lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, suberect, thinly coriaceous, narrowly ovate, acuminate, acute leaf that blooms in the spring through summer on a weak, capillary, 1" [2.5 cm] long, subdensely , successively flowered inflorecence arising on the back of the leaf.

"Although the lobes of the petals are variable they are similar to L columbar and L homotaxis but they readily distinguishable by the smaller, non-cordate, blade of the transversely bilobed lip." Luer 1996

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Phytologia 54:332 Luer 1983; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXI Lepanthes of Bolivia; Systematics of Octomeria Luer 2010 drawing fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide

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