Lepanthes capitana Rchb.f. 1855 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Elongatae 1993
Drawing by Carl Luer
TYPE Drawing by Rchb.f
Common Name or Meaning The Large Flowered Inflorescence Lepanthes
Flower Size .2" [5mm]
Found in Carchi, Imbabura and Pichinche provinces of Ecuador at elevations of 2700 to 3300 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 5 to 8, minutely scabrous, lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall winter and spring on a loose, lightly flexuous, to 4" [10 cm] long, racemose, successively several flowered inflorescence.
This species is a small version of L elegantula which may turn out to be conspecific but it does differ in the larger flowers and the larger, longer sepals with long-acuminate apices.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 5 Dunsterville & Garay 1966 drwaing not = L calocodon; Venezuelan Orchids an Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Dunsterville & Gray 1979 drawing not = L calocodon; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 as L capitanea drawing fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide as L capitanea
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