Lepanthes thurstoniorum Salazar, Soto Arenas & O.Suárez 1996 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Elongatae 1993

TYPE Drawing

Photo by © Gerardo Salazar/TYPE Drawing by O Suarez and El Genero Lepanthes Sw. En Mexico Salazar and Soto 1996

EARLIER LATER

Common Name The Thurstons’ Lepanthes [American Orchid Enthusiasts and collectors in Mexico later 1900’s]

Flower Size .24” [6 mm]

Found only in Oaxaca and Chiapas states of Mexico in perrenial jungle forests at elevations around 1950 to 2550 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold, pendent growing epiphyte with descending, slightly arcuate ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 6 lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, somewhat fleshy, somewhat rigid, widely elliptic, obtuse to subacute, minutely tridentate, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late spring through earlier winter on 1 to 4, only 1 per bloom season, mostly longer than the leaf, mostly on the back of the leaf, peduncle filiform, .4 to .84” [1 to 2.1 cm] long, single tubular-infundibular bracted, rachis slightly flexuous, lax, 2.8" [7 cm] long overall, successively single, 4 to 13 flowered inflorescence.

"Easily recognized by the lax inflorescence usually longer than the leaf carrying large yellow flowers diffused with red, prominently ciliate sepals, petals with subequal, triangular lobes that occasionally have an oblong inferior lobe [in Chiapas material] very narrow lip laminae that are in contact throught he upper 2/3's and a larger, geniculate and shortly pilose appendix." Salazar & Soto 1996

The photo is the type photo for the species and is absolutely correct.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * El Genero Lepanthes Sw. En Mexico Salazar and Soto 1996 Photo/drawing fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------