Lepanthes horribilis Luer & Hirtz 1996 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
LATE 
Common Name The Frightful Lepanthes [refers to the flower shape]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in west central Ecuador at elevations around 1250 to 1400 meters as a mini-miniature to miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with a slender, suberect ramicaul enveloped by 10 to 14, lepanthiform sheaths with dilated, acuminate, ciliate ostia and carrying a single, apical, more or less horizontal, coriaceous, purple suffused, rugose-verrucose with minutely ciliate margins, ovate, acute to lightly acuminate, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late summer and fall on a slender, congested, secund, 1" [2.5 cm] long, successively few flowered inflorescence arising on the top of the leaf and carrying submuricate floral bracts.
"Related to L fiskei and L gargoyla but L horribilis is distinguished by the roughly corrugated leaves and a fierce looking, brown flower lying upon the prickly surface. The sides of the dorsal sepal are markedly revolute while the sides of the lateral sepals are undulate. The lateral sepals are concave below the middle and form a tall, carina-like fold in the midline. The apices of the lateral sepals are approximate and acumiante into slnder tails. Green petals flank the lip and the upper lobes of the petals are hook-shaped." Luer 1996
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2001 photo fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide
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