Lepanthes motozintlensis Salazar & Soto Arenas 1996 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes

TYPE Drawing

Photo by © Miguel Soto/TYPE Drawing by R JImenez and El Genero Lepanthes Sw. En Mexico Salazar and Soto 1996

LATER

Common Name The Motozintla Lepanthes [A town in Chiapas state of Mexico]

Flower Size .2” [5 mm]

Found in Chiapas state of Mexico as a somewhat hanging, branch epiphyte in lower perenial forests at elevations around 1800 to 2200 meters as mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with ascending-arcuate ramicauls enveloped by 4 to 5 lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, hanging, coriaceous, lightly concave, elliptic, abruptly acuminate, intense green above and copper green, blotched or spotted purple to completely purple beneath, apically tridentate, shortly petiolate base leaf that blooms in the later spring and summer on up to 3 per ramicaul, only one per season per ramicaul, always shorter than the leaf, on the top side of the leaf, peduncle single bracted, .32 to .44” [8 to 11.5 mm] long, rachis distichous, congested, to .32 to .44” [8 to 11.5 cm] long, successively 1 at a time, to 15 flowered inflorescence with obliquely infundibuliform, acute to acuminate, membraneous, translucent, digitiform papilose floral bracts.

"This species is similar to L. appendiculata but is distiguished by the larger petals with the dissimilar lobules with the apex terminating in a evident triangular apicule and the lip laminae oblanceolate, obique, acute at both ends and leaving the anther exposed at the end of the column. Lepanthes motozintlensis is very similar to L cryptostele but differs in the apiculate petals with much shorter hairs, the completely velvety pubescent, opaque laminae of the lip with longer hairs towards the apex. The laminae are positioned in a way to expose the anther and the appendix is completely pilose." Salazar & Soto 1996

The photo above is the type photo so it 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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