Myoxanthus mejiae (Garay & Dunst.) Luer 1982 SUBGENUS Myoxanthus SECTION Antenella Luer 1992
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundatrion at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
Common Name Mejia's Myoxanthus [Venezuelan Dicoverer of orchid current]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Tachira state Venezuela in cloud forests at elevations around 2000 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls, lightly compressed towards the apex ramicauls enveloped by 5 to 8, hispidulous sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, ovate, acute, cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer on a fascile of .4" [1 cm] long, successively single flowered inflorescence arising through a spathe at the apex of the ramicaul with sparsely pubescent, as long as the peddicel floral bracts.
Similar to Myoxanthus reymondii but vegetatively differs in the ramicaul being compressed towards the apex and the broader leaf. Superficially the flowers of the 2 species with prominently clubbed petals are also similar, but the lips are profoundly different. The blade of the lip of M mejiae is markedly thickened and deflexed above the middle. At the base a prominent callus projects backwards between a pair of acute, erect, marginal angles. A pair of membraneous, pedunculate lobules flank the base." LUer 1992
Synonyms *Pleurothallis mejiae Garay & Dunst. 1976
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchid Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 as Pleurothallis mejiae drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol IX Systematics of Myoxanthus Luer 1992 Drawing fide; A taxonomic synopsis and morphological characterization of Myoxanthus (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) Gustavo Rojas-Alvarado, Mario A. Blanco, A. P. Karremans 2021
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