Lepanthes polytricha Luer 1983 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photo by © Eric Hunt and his Flicker Orchid Photostream
Photo by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Many Haired Lepanthes
Flower Size 1/10" [3 mm]
Found in southern Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations of 1700 to 2500 meters as a miniature sized, cool cold growing epiphyte with stout, erect to suberect ramicauls enveloped basally by 4 to 13 lepanthiform sheaths with markedly dilated ostia with the margins and ribs ciliate and carries a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, pubescent beneath, minutely verrucose dorsally, transversly cordate-ovate, apically obtuse to rounded leaf that is abruptly contracted into the petiole from a cordate base and blooms on a congested, successively few flowered, 1/5" [7 mm] long, racemose inflorescence arising in a fascile on the underside of the leaf.
"Recognized by the coarse suborbicular leaves and short inflorescence of pubecent flowers. The petals are 4 pronged. The apical upper blades of the lip resemble a toothbrush" Luer 1996.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Phytologia 54: 364 Luer 1983; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2001 photo fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 83 #3 2019 photo fide;
Checked Luer OK
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