Lepanthopsis vellozicola R.C.Mota, F.Barros & Stehmann 2009 SUBGENUS Lepanthopsis SECTION Lepanthopsis
Photos by Roberto Martins
TYPE Drawing by H Helena Burrian © and Novon 19 380 - 387 Two New Species of Orchidaceae from Brazil: Bulbophyllum carassense and Lepanthopsis vellozicola Mota, Barros and Stehman 2009
Common Name The Vellozia Loving Lepanthopsis
Flower Size .08" [2 mm]
Found in Minas Gerais state of Brazil in rocky fields on Vellozia trees at elevations around 1750 to 1900 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with an erect ramicaul enveloped by 2, glabrous, ribbed, membraneous, tubular to craterform, brownish greenm imbricate, unequal , margin smooth, slightly thickened, shortly cuspidate apically lepanthiform bracts and carrying a single, apical, glabrous, fleshy, convex on both faces or only the abaxial face, usually sulcate at the median vein, widely elliptic, ovate to orbicular, light green to reddish brown, margin entire, obtuse, mucronate, attenuate below into the base leaf that blooms in the fall on a slightly arching, peduncle glabrous, filiform, brownish green to vinaceous, .16 to .48" [4 to 12 mm] long, peduncular bracts glabrous, membraneous, infundibular to truncate, basal one twice as long as the others, rachis .2 to 1" [5 to 25 mm] long, mostly simultaneously several flowered inflorescence with glabrous, membraneous, craterform, , acute to obtuse paically, longer than the pedicel floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish yellow to vinaceous colored flowers held in 2 ranks.
"Unique in the genus by the smooth margins of the lepanthiform sheaths, the presence of only 2 internodes, the lateral sepals that are fused to the apex, and by appearing as an epiphyte exclusively on Vellozia. It shares the smallest leaves of the genus with L microlepanthes but the floral patern keeps this one in Section Lepanthopsis." Mota, Barros and Stehman 2009
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Novon 19 380 - 387 Two New Species of Orchidaceae from Brazil: Bulbophyllum carassense and Lepanthopsis vellozicola drawing fide
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