Lepanthes destituta Luer & R.Escobar 1988 GENUS Lepanthes SUBGENUS Brachycladium SECTION Amplectentes Luer 1994
Photo by Allen Black
Photo by Sebastian Viera Uribe
Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name or Meaning The Poor Lepanthes [refers to the visual illusion that there are no petals and lip]
Flower Size .12" [3mm]
Found in Norte de Santander department of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations around 2150 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with a pendant rhizome giving rise to erect ramicaul enveloped by a single, long-ciliate lepanthiform sheath and carrying a single, pendant, coriaceous, glabrous, widely ovate, 3 veined, obtuse and rounded below into the base leaf that blooms in the spring on a .2 to .4" [.5 to 1 cm] long, racemose, successively single, 2 to 5 flowered inflorescence arising from near the apex of the ramicaul.
A very similar orchid is Lepanthes ortizii which mostly differs in the shape of the column apex and the reticulated brown, green leaves.
"Among the species in this subgenus L destituta is the smallest known, apparently it is endemic in the eastern cordillera of Colombia. It is distinguished by tiny, suborbicular, glabrous leaves less than .12" [3 mm] long, a congested raceme of successive, tiny, light yellow flowers: glabrous, acute, widely spread and relexed sepals less than .08" [2 mm] long, microscopic petals and a red obovate lip with sides that surround the column." Luer 1994
Synonyms Andinia destituta (Luer & R.Escobar) Karremans & S.V.Uribe 2017; Brachycladium destitutum (Luer & R.Escobar) Luer 2005; Neooreophilus destitutus (Luer & R.Escobar) Archila 2009; Oreophilus destitutus (Luer & R.Escobar) Archila 2009; Penducella destituta (Luer & R.Escobar) Luer 2010
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Orquideología Vol 17 #3 pg 179-182 Luer & Escobar 1988 Drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XI Systematics of Lepanthes Subgenus Brachycladium and Pleurothallis subgenus Aenigma, Elongatia and Kraenzlingella Luer 1994 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Dryadella and Acronia section Macrophyllae-Fasiculatae Luer 2005 as Brachycladium destitutum; Selbyana 29(2): 203. Archila 2009 as Oreophilus destitutus; Orchid Digest 74(2): 69. Luer 2010 as Penducella destituta; Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Andinia destitua photo fide
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