Platystele spatulata Luer 1980

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

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Common Name The Spoon Shaped Platystele [refers to the shape of the leaf]

Flower Size .16" [4 mm]

Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations around 2200 meters as mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with an erect, slender ramicaul enveloped by 2 to 3, thin, ribbed, imbricating sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, obtuse to rounded, spathulate-petiolate, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on weak, suberect, loose, flexuous, distichous, to 7.2” [18 cm] long including the filiform, 1.2 to 1.6" [3 to 4 cm] long peduncle, successively, to 5 at once, many flowered inflorescence arising laterally from the ramicaul with thin, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.

" Vegetatively distinct with the paddle shaped leaves. The sepals and petals of the tiny flowers are reflexed, the backs of the lateral sepals touching. The proportionally large, tick, rounded lip studded with large cells protrudes rigidly from the center of the flower. The sides of the lip seen to be revolute to create the usual thickness." Luer 1990

Synonyms

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 drawing fide

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