Lepanthes illinizae Luer & Hirtz 1993 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Elongatae 1993

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

EARLY

Common Name The Illiniza Lepanthes [A volcano in Ecuador]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador in wet forests at elevations around 2900 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with a stout, erect ramicaul enveloped by 10 to 14, dark, loose, ciliate lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical-ovate, acute to acuminate, cuneate to rounded and contracted below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the early summer on an elongating, loose, distichous, lightly flexuous, to 5.6" [14 cm] long, successively single, many flowered inflorescence.

"Similar to L biloba and L elongata but the racemes are loosely flowered and begin shorter than the leaves and in time far exceed them in length. The sepals are acute and lightly acuminate and denticulate, the lobes of the petals are rounded, the blades of the lip are narrowly oblong and the appendix is small and ovoid." Luer 1996

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Novon 3: 449 Luer 1993 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide

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