Lepanthes mariae Salazar, Soto Arenas & O.Suárez SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes Photo by © E. Greenwood

Another Flower Photo by © Noble Bashor

TYPE Drawing TYPE Drawing by © Noble Bashor

Common Name Mary's Lepanthes [Mrs Greenwood, Oaxaca resident and Orchid Enthusiast current]

Flower Size 1/4" [6mm]

Oaxaca Mx. Cerro San Filipe.

Found only in northern Oaxaca state of Mexico in cloud forests at elevations of 2300 to 2350 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect to ascending, slender ramicauls enveloped basally by 4 to 5 lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, ovate to elliptical, fleshy-coriaceous, tridenticulate, gradually narrowing below into the short petiolate base leaf and blooming in the spring on 1 to 3 per ramicaul with only one blooming at a time, always shorter than the leaf, to .6" [1.5 cm] long, successively single flowered with up to 4 flowers, distichous, slightly flexuous, racemose inflorescence holding the flowers close against the back of the leaf.

"This species is quite distinct from the other Mexican species and is distinguished by the petal shape, with the lobes very narrow and divergent, a very prominent lip and column with a minute appendix." Salazar & Luer 1996

The first photo is the type photo so it is absolutely correct.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; El Genero Lepanthes en Mexico Salazar & Soto 1996 drawing fide/photo fide; Algunas Orquideas de Oaxaca Suarez 2004 photo fide;

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