Myoxanthus merae (Luer) Luer 1982 SUBGENUS Myoxanthus SECTION Antenella Luer 1992
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundatrion at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
EARLY 
Common Name The Mera Myoxanthus [A town in Ecuador near where the species was discovered]
Flower Size .24" [6 mm]
Found in Pastaza, Morona-Santiago, Napo and Zamora-Chinchipe provinces of Ecuador in forests at elevations of 950 to 1200 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with slender, erect, ramicuals enveloped by 4 to 6 tubular, hispidulous sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical-ovate, acute, gradually narrowing below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer and early fall on a .04 to .08" [1 to 2 mm] long, successively single flowered inflorescence arising from near the apex of the ramicaul with tubular, pubescent floral bracts that envelop both the pedicel and ovary.
"Distinguished by the small, densely caespitose habit, slender ramicauls and narrow leaves. The flower is small and borne single, reminiscent of Myoxanthus scandens . The sepals are sparsely red pubebescent externally, the petals are subulate and the lip is elliptical with erect, rounded, mintly denticulate margins." Luer 1992
Synonyms *Pleurothallis merae Luer 1976
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Selbyana 3: 144 Luer 1976 as Pleurothallis merae drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol IX Systematics of Myoxanthus Luer 1992 Drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 drawing/photo fide; Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 photo fide; A taxonomic synopsis and morphological characterization of Myoxanthus (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) Gustavo Rojas-Alvarado, Mario A. Blanco, A. P. Karremans 2021 Photo fide
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