Platystele dodsonii Luer 1979
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
TYPE drawing by © Carl Luer and the Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
LATE 
EARLY
Common Name Dodson's Platystele [American Botanist in Ecuador current]
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in Zamora Chinchipe province of Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations around 2800 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing densly caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3thin, imbricating sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical-obovate, subacute, gradually narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late winter, spring and summer on a weak, erect, peduncle filiform, .4 to .6" [1 to 1.5 cm] long, arising from low on the ramicaul, 1.4" [3.5 cm] long, overall, loose, flexuous, distichous, successively several, several flowered inflorescence.
Similar to P oxyglossa but this one differs in the successively several, several flowered inflorescence with reddish-purple flowers. P oxyglossa has a successively single, several flowered inflorescence with light yellow green flowers.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol VII Systematics of Platystele Luer 1990 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol VIII Systematics of Lepanthopsis, Restrepiella, Restrpiopsis, Salpistele and Teagueia Luer & Hirtz 1991 pg 147 drawing fide; : Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 drawing/photo fide;
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