Lepanthes viahoensis Luer & R.Escobar 1997 SUBGENUS Lepanthes SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Lepanthes
Photos by Sebastian Vieira and his Flickr Orchid Photo Webpage
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
LATE 
Common Name The Rio Viao Lepanthes [refers to where the orchid was discovered]
Flower Size .08" [2 mm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia on the central cordillera of the Andes in cloud forests at elevations around 2000 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped completely by 6 to 7, microscopically ciliate lepanthiform sheaths with oblique ostia and carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, very narrowly ovate, acute, cuneate and contracted below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late spring on a, filiform, congested, distichous, .56 to .64” [1.4 to 1.6 cm] long including the .16 to .24” [4 to 6 mm] peduncle, successively single, many flowered inflorescence arising on the back of the leaf with muriculate floral bracts.
Similar to L petalopterx of the western cordillera of the Andes but it has minutely denticulate sepals and 2 veined lateral sepals and the petals has obliquely truncate upper and lower lobes. The lips of both species are essentially the same.
Also similar to L pleurorachis, and L anchicayae
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Orquideologia Vol 20 #3 pg 311 Luer & Escobar 1997 drawing/photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 photo fide;
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