Lepanthes tibouchinicola Luer & R.Escobar 1983
SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Elongatae 1993
Plant in situ Antioquia Colombia 5/6/14
Plant in situ Antioquia Colombia 5/6/14
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
Original Drawing by © Padre Pedro Ortiz Conserved at the Herbario de la Universidad Javeriana Bogota Colombia
Common Name The Tibouchina-Loving Lepanthes [A tree commonly called Siete-cueros or 7 Skin tree]
Flower Size .2" [5mm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia in cold temperate forests at elevations around 2500 to 2800 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 4 close, microscopically scabrous lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, narrowly cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a progressively lengthening, secund, sublaxly, to 9.2" [23 cm] long including the 2 to 2.8" [5 to 7 cm] long peduncle, successively 2 to 3, many flowered, racemose inflorescence with as long as the ovary floral bracts.
This species grows exclusively on Tibouchina trees known in Colombia as Sietecueros which tranlated ,means 7 skins.A very noticable Lepanthes, as the 2 to 3 open at a time, orange flowers are quite large in height [almost 1/2" tall]. This is an unmistakable Lepanthes as it has no close relatives. I found it on ridge tops at elevations around 2700 meters in semi-dense clumps of smaller Tibouchina trees.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 12 1983 Drawing/photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 drawing/photo fide; Checked tropicos type OK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
