Lepanthes valerioi Luer 1996 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes Photo by © Daniel Jimenenz
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and Lindleyana 11: 67. Luer 1996
Common Name Valerio's Lepanthes [Costa Rican Discoverer of species]
Flower Size .32" [8 mm]
Found in Costa Rica at elevations around 2100 to 2600 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 4 to 6 long-ciliate, lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, broadly elliptical to suborbicular, obtuse to rounded, broadly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall and winter on a congested, distichous, .2 to .4" [.5 to 1 cm] long peduncle, racemose, to .8" [2 cm] long overall, successively single, few flowered inflorescence holding the flowers beyond the leaf and has spiculate floral bracts.
"Unique among the Central American species of the genus, although it is related to sevferal Andean species such as L ictalurus with the body of the lip connate near the middle of the slender column. L valerioi is distinguished by the small, rounded leaves surpassed by a congested, successively flowered raceme. The dorsal sepal is narrowly ovate and acute while the laterals are connate above the middle with acute, triangular apices. The upper lobe of the peetals is narrowly triangular and the lower lobe is filamentous. The narrowly oblong blads of he lip are adherent ovaer a slender colum to which the broad body of the lip is connate near the middle." Luer 1996
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Lindleyana 11: 67. Luer 1996 drawing fide; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003;
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