Maxillaria microiridifolia D.E.Benn. & Christenson 2001 SECTION Iridifoliar Pfitz

TYPE Drawing by © Pastorelli, Benentt & Christenson

Part Shade Warm LATEFall EARLIER Winter

Common Name The Smallest Section Iridifoliae Maxillaria

Flower Size .24" [6 mm]

Found in Ecuador and Puno departments f Peru in wet montane forests at elevations around 550 meters as a small sized, warm growing, caespitose epiphyte with narrowly ovoid to ovoid-elliptic, complanate pseudobulbs enveloped basally by foliaceous bracts that are subequal to the apical leaf, and carrying a single, apical, linear, acute, upper surface rugulose, coriaceous, gradually tapering below into the fused, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late fall and earlier winter on an erect, peduncle terete, concealed by 4 distichous, imbricating bracts, 1.6" [4 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence and carrying campanulate, completely erect facing flowers with parellel segments, the tepals are pale greenish yellow, the lip is ochre yellow with the lateral lobes purplish near the base, the callus is brownish orange, the column and anther are pale yellow with reddish papillae and the pollina are yellow.

Synonyms Heterotaxis microiridifolia (D.E.Benn. & Christenson) Ojeda & Carnevali 2005

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum plate 699 Bennett & christenson 2001 drawing fide; Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 544 Dodson & Vasquez 1989 as M santanae drawing fide; Maxillaria An Unfinished Monograph Vol 2 Christenson 2013 photos/drawing fide; LANKESTERIANA 14(1) 2014

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