Lepanthopsis comet-halleyi Luer 1991 SUBGENUS Microlepanthes
Photo by © Moises Behar
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
LATE 
EARLY
Common Name The Haley's Comet Lepanthes [the comet was visible at Monteverde where this species was discovered]
Flower Size .1" [2 mm]
Found in Costa Rica at elevations around 1500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with slender, suberect ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 6, minutely ciliate, lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptic, subacute to obtuse, basally rounded and cuneate into the twisted petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late winter and early spring on a congested, distichous, 2" [5 cm] long, successively single, several flowered inflorescence.
"Most similar to L microlepanthes but distinguished by the lip cleft into a pair of round apical lobes. The column with the dorasl anther and the entire, apical stigma is the same in both species." Luer 1991
CAUTION!! The photo above is suspect as the petals are too large, the colors are way off and it is said to be from Costa Rica, Moises was in Guatemala but he could have bought it. The TYPE Drawing is absolutely correct!
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; * Icones Pleurothallidinarum VIII Systematics of Lepanthopsis, Octomeria subgenus Pleurothallopsis, Restrepiella, Salpistele and Teagueia Luer 1991 drawing/photo fide; Guatemala Y Sus Orquideas Behar & Tinschert 1998 photo fide; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003
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