Lepanthes fratercula Luer & Béhar 1990 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Elongatae 1993
photo by © Mario Velasquez and hisFlickr Orchid Photo Website
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and the AOS Lindleyana Website
Common Name The Brotherly Lepanthes [refers to the flowers similarity to L guatemalensis and L tactiquense]
Flower Size .16" [4 mm]
Found in Guatemala in forests at elevations around 1800 to 2300 meters as a mni-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with ramicauls enveloped by lepanthiform sheaths with microscopically dentate marginally ostia and carrying a suborbicular-elliptic, tridenticulate, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter and summer on 2 to 3, .6 to .88" [1.5 to 2.2 cm] long, successively single, few flowered inflorescence.
"Very similar to the considerably larger L guatemalensis with which it grows intermixed. L fratercula is distinguished by the smaller habit, the inflorescence not reaching more than 1" [2.5 cm] long, to about twice the lengngth of the combines leaf and ramicaul. The flower is only half as large as L guatemalensis and it consistently faces downward. The shapes of the floral parts are very similar to L guatemalensis." Luer & Behar 1990
CAUTION I feel that L necae is a synonym of this species. I await verification before I make it official.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Lindleyana 5: 188 Luer 1990 drawing fide; Orquidea Mex Vol 14 El Genero Lepanthes en Mexico Salazar & Soto 1996; Lepanthes of Guatemala Archila 2001 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 6 2008 photo fide; Diversity of Pleurothallidinae in Guatemala: An Endangered Orchid Subtribe with High Economic and Horticultural Potentials Edgar Mo Mo, Cetzal, Basu and Vega 2017 photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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