Lepanthes tracheia Rchb.f 1886 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt ©.
Photo courtesy of Weyman Bussey
Another view, in situ Colombia
Another view, in situ Colombia
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Walter Teague
Another view, in situ Colombia
Photo by Arturo Carrillo
Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Trachea Lepanthes [Possibly refers to the lepanthiform sheathed ramicaul]
Flower Size 1/8" [3 mm]
Found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, at elevations around 1000 to 2000 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with a slender, erect ramicaul enveloped basally by a 8 to 12, minutely ciliate lepanthiform sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, rigidly coriaceous, purple suffused, broadly ovate to suborbicular, obtuse, slightly convex leaf that is rounded to cordate basally and is contracted into a petiole. This species blooms in the summer on a filiform, congested, distichous .72 to .88” [1.8 to 2.2 cm] long including the .32 to .48” [8 to 12 mm] long peduncle, successively several flowered, racemose inflorescence that arises behind the leaf.
"Characterized by the small, rigid, purplish, broadly ovate, obtuse leaf subcordate at the base and slightly convex with a congested raceme of colorful flowers borne beneath. The sepals are coarsely denticulate. The upper lobes of the petals are uncinate with the apices pointed outwards. The blades of the lip are ovate and concave and the appendix is large, pubescent and oblong with a terminal gland." Luer 1996
Synonyms Lepanthes caucana Schlechter 1924
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Beitrage Zur Orchideenkunde Von Colombia 27:159 Schlechter 1924 as L caucana; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela An Illustrated Field Guide vol 2 Dunterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 442 Dodson 1982 drawing hmm; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XIV Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador Luer 1996 drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 2 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2001 drawing ok; Orquideas Nativas del Tachira Cesar Fernandez 2003 photo ok; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Flora of Ecuador No 88 Lepanthes and affiliates Dodson & Luer 2011 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 photo fide;
Checked Luer OK
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