Lepanthes orbella Luer 1996 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes TYPE Drawing by © Luer and Epidendra Orchid Website

Common Name The Small Round Leafed Lepanthes

Flower Size .06" [1.5 mm]

Found in Costa Rica without locational data as a mini-miniature sized epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 4, closely adpressed, microscopically ciliate lepanthiform sheaths with oblique, slightly dilated ostia, and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, broadly elliptical to suborbicular, obtuse to rounded apically, rounded and contracted below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms on a slender, congested, distichous, .68" [1.7 cm] long, successively several flowered inflorescence arising to just beyond the top of the leaf and carrying .

Characterized by the very small, caespitose plant allied to L blepharistes. The habit differs in the delicate, much shorter ramicauls to .4" [1 cm] long, with small, suborbicular leaves instead of ovate, acute leaves bourne by a mature ramicaul to to 4" [10 cm] long. The flowers, borne in a congested raceme just beyond the leaf and carrying similar flowers but 1/2 as large.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Lindleyana 11: 64 Luer 1996 drawing fide; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003

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