Lepanthes montis-narae Pupulin, Bogarín & C.M.Sm. 2010 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
TYPE Photo and TYPE Drawing by © Bogarin, Pupulin & C M Sm. and Epidendra Orchid Photo Webpage
Common Name The Mount Nara Lepanthes [A Hill in Costa Rica near Dota]
Flower Size .12" [3mm]
Found in Costa Rica in premontane rainforests at elevations around 910 to 1000 meters as a mini-miniature sized warm growing epiphyte with slender, erect, ramicauls enveloped by 5 to 9, close fitting, non-dilated lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, ovate,obtuse to slightly acuminate, broadly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter on a filiform, congested, distichous, successively several flowered inflorescence arising on top of the leaf.
L monti-narae is similar to L sotoana and the habit and flowers of both species are superficially similar, resembling those of L. schizocardia. After studying the type of L. schizocardia, we found both species consistently different. The plants are pendent, lacking the purple reticulation beneath the leaves and the inflorescences borne above the leaf. Lepanthes sotoana can be distinguished from L. montis-narae by the oblong petals (vs. ovate), the lateral lobes of the lip touching apically each other and do not hide the column, which is placed just above the lip (lateral lobes of the lip hide the column and do not touch each other apically) and the appendix of the lip is conic (vs. oblong) and conspicuous, up to 1 mm long (vs. inconspicuous, less than 1 mm long). We have not seen specimens of Lepanthes schizocardia in Costa Rica"
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Lankesteriana 9(3): 425-427, f. 2A-H. Pupulin, Bogarin and C.M.Sm. 2010 drawing/photo fide; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 2 Lacaena to Pteroglossa Pupulin 2020 photo fide;
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