Octomeria sarthouae Luer 1991
Photo by © Gerard Guillot and his Orchidees de Guyane Picasa Orchid Photo Website
Drawing by © Carl Luer
LATE
EARLY 
Common Name Sarthou's Octomeria [French female discoverer of species current]
Flower Size .24" [6 mm]
Found in French Guiana at elevations around 580 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm growing epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 4 ribbed, tubular, fugacious sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late fall and early winter on a fascile of .04" [1mm] long, successively single flowered inflorescence arising from near the apex of the ramicaul.
CAUTION!! PLEASE USE PHOTO WITH CAUTION Although the photo above fits many aspects of what Luer described for this species there are several differences. First Luer makes no mention of a purple beneath leaf, his drawing shows the lateral sepals as equal to the dorsal sepal in shape and size, and the stated colors are much differnet as he mentions purple sepals and petals with a dark purple lip. But Luers drawing of the lip and column seem quite close. More research needs to be done here. The drawing is absolutely correct!
"The species is distinguished by the small habit with thick, narrowly elliptical leaves about asa long as the secondary stems. The inflorescence is a congested succession of small, short stemmed, purple flowers produced from below the base of the leaf. The sepals and petals are free, ovate, acute and single veined. The lip is round, with a prominently fringed margin. The basal angles of the lip embrace the column, while the base is acutely deflexed against the back of the blade. Closely related to O splendida of neighboring Venezuela, differing mainly in the deeply fringed papillose lip." Luer 2010
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXI Luer 2010 drawing fide;
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