Lepanthes medusa Luer & R. Escobar 1991 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photo by Walter Teague
Photo by Eric Hunt, Plant grown by Dan Newman of Hanging Gardens.
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer.
Common Name The Medusa Lepanthes [Greek Myth Monster - Snake-Headed]
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia at elevations of 2000 to 2400 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by 11 to 12, minutely ciliate lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, ovate, acute, shortly acuminate, rugose between the purple flushed veins on the underside, rounded and contracted into the twisted, petiolate base base leaf that blooms in the spring on a few, terminal, 1.6" [4 cm] long, successively single, several flowered inflorescence arsing on the back side of the leaf.
L maria-victoriae is similar to the pale sepaled, brightly colored petaled L medusa but it differs in the larger flowers with petals with long narrow lobes.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Checked type drawing W3Tropicos OK; Orquideologia Vol 18 #1 1991 Drawing/photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 8 2003 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 5 2004 photo; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 drawing/photo fide;
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