Lepanthes reflexa Luer & Hermans 1995 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photos by © Jimenez/Bogarin and the Epidendra Website
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Reflexed Lepanthes [refers to the dorsal sepal]
Flower Size .15" [3mm]
Found in Costa Rica at elevations around 2750 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphtye with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped completely by 5 to 7, dark, microscopically ciliate, lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, broadly elliptic, obtuse apically, broadly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a densely congested, distichous, successively many flowered, to .9" [2.3 cm], racemose inflorescence arising from behind the leaf.
"Distinguished by the small habit with broadly elliptical, obtuse leaves borne by ramicuals with black sheaths, an inflorescnece shorter than the leaf with a very congested raceme and acute, carinate, glabrous sepals. The dorsal sepal is reflected against the ovary and pedicel. The oblong upper lobes of the petals nearly as long as the dorsal sepals stand erect, while the lower lobes are minute and rounded. The blades of the lip shorter than the column, are narrow as thickened margins of short, broadly triangular connectives. The body is thickand the sinus is acute without an apparent appendix. Similar to L subdimidiata also characterized by a minute lower lobe of the petals but it has denticulate sepasl and the blades of the lip are held above the column." Luer 1995
CAUTION Said to be synomonous with L costaricensis but our Costa Rican colleagues feel that it is different so I have left it separate until more information becomes available.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR; Checked Type OK; Epidendra Website; * Lindleyana 10: 167 Luer 1995 drawing fide; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 2 Lacaena to Pteroglossa Pupulin 2020 photo fide;
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