Lepanthes mefueensis Luer & R.Escobar 1988 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Breves Luer 1986 SERIES Breves Luer 1996

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

LATER

Common Name The Alto de Mefue Lepanthes [refers to where the species was discovered]

Flower Size .08" [2 mm]

Found in Norte de Santander department of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations around 2600 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 7 to 9, long-ciliate lepanthiform sheaths with dilated ostia and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the later spring on a filiform, dense, disitchous, .4 to .52" [1 to 1.3 cm] long including the .2 to .32" [5 to 8 mm] long peduncle, successively single, several flowered inflorescence arising on the back of the leaf.

Similar to Lepanthes aquila-borussiae but L mefueensis differs in the smooth marigined, rather than denticulate sepals, the lateral sepals with a single vein, and the lip with a filiform, deflexed appendix.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquideologia Vol 17 #3 1988 drawing/photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 drawing fide/photo ?;

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