Platystele microscopica Luer 1980
Drawing by © Bada and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Microscopically Small Platystele
Flower Size .16" [4 mm]
Found in Narino departemnt of Colombia and Pichincha province of Ecuador in wet cloud forests at elevations around 1600 to 2300 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with suberect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2, thin, imbricating sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, subacute to obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on a filiform, weak, suberect, to 3.6" [9 cm] long including .8 to 1.2" [2 to 3 cm] long peduncle, distichous, flexuous, successively several to many flowered inflorescence arising laterally on the ramicaul and has a thin floral bract.
"Vegetatively it is more of less densely repent, forming caespitose plants. The little distichous racemes produce minute flowers with attenuate sepals and petals, but the slender, deep purple lip with the large, pedunculated callus at the base id diagnostic." Luer 1990
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Phytologia 46: 356 Luer 1980;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol VII Systematics of Platystele Luer 1990 drawing fide;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 photo fide
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