Platystele microglossa P.Ortiz 1981
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
Original Drawing by © Padre Pedro Ortiz Conserved at the Herbario de la Universidad Javeriana, Bogota Colombia
Common Name The Tiny Tongued Platystele
Flower Size .2" [5mm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia and Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations around 1600 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 thin, imbricating sheaths and carrying a single, apical erect, coriaceous, elliptical, obtuse to rounded, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on a suberect, to 1.6" [4 cm] long including the .4" [1 cm] long peduncle, filiform, loose, successively few flowered, racemose inflorescence arising from low on the the ramicaul and has thin floral bracts.
"Vegetatively it is very small with spathulate leaves. The flowers are small, but proportionally large for the plant. The sepals and petals are similar, widespread and acuminate. The lip is ovate and acute with a glenion. It is similar to P posadarum which is distinguished by the long-caudate sepals and the twice larger, obtuse lip." Luer 1990
Synonyms Platystele gemmula Luer 1981
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquideologia Vol 14 #3 Ortiz 1981 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol VII Systematics of Platystele Luer 1990 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 drawing/photo fide
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