Lepanthes minima Salazar & Soto Arenas 1996 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photo/TYPE Drawing by © Gerardo Salazar and El Genero Lepanthes Sw. En Mexico Salazar and Soto 1996
Common Name The Least Lepanthes [refers to the plant and flower size which is the smallest of the L guatemalensis alliance]
Flower Size .14” [4 mm]
Found only in Oaxaca state of Mexico and Guatemala in lower perrenial forests at elevations around 1300 to 1400 meters as a super mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with ascending, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 4 lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, coriaceous-fleshy, ovate to suborbicular, obtuse, clear green on both sides, diminutively emarginate and aristate apically, shortly petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on 1 to 2, only 1 per bloom season, 2 to 4 times longer than the leaf, mostly on the top of the leaf, peduncle filiform, single tubular bracted, rachis slightly flexuous, lax, 1.2” [3 cm] long overall, successively single, 2 to 4 flowered inflorescence.
"The small plant with obovate to suborbicular leaves, longer than the leaf few flowered inflorescence with intense yellow t ogolden sepals, the petals with equal, obliquely triangular-ovate lobes with apiculate apices, the laminae of the lip separate towards the base convergent at the apices exposing the column in a characterristic fashion and a bilobed appendix. Similar to L. beharii it is distinguished by the round leaves and the laminae of the lip exceeding the apex of the column. It is also similar to L fratercula but has a distinct purplish coloration for the lip and petals and a different shape to the segments." Salazar & Soto 1996 .
The photo is the type photo for the species and is absolutely correct.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI * El Genero Lepanthes Sw. En Mexico Salazar and Soto 1996 Photo/drawing fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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