Maxillaria minuta Cogn. 1904 Photo courtesy of ROMAN MARUSKA and his Orchid Species Website

Common Name The Small Maxillaria

Flower Size .2" [5mm]

Found in SE Brazil at elevations of 700 to 750 meters as a mini-miniature to miniature sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with round-oblong, slightly compressed, longitudinally sulcate pseudobulbs enveloped by several imbricate, becoming brown, deciduous, leaf bearing sheaths and carrying a single, apical, fleshy, linear, conduplicate and somewhat attenuate below into the base leaf that blooms in the summer on an axillary, .15 to .2" [3 to 6 mm] long, single flowered inflorescence completely enveloped by the sheaths

Said to be synomonous with M pumila and if so then it takes precedence, but I have left them separate as there appears to be quite a few differences in both the plant and the flowers.

Synonyms Christensonella minuta ( Cogn. ) Szlach. , Mytnik , Górniak & ?miszek 2006; Maxillaria minuta var. minor Hoehne 1952

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953 drawing good; Flora Brasilica Vol XII VII 115-147 Hoehne 1953 as M minuta var minor good; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 28 1713 - 1776 Brieger 1993 photo ok;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------