Pleurothallis aenigma [Karremans & M.Díaz] in ed. SUBGENUS Dracontia SECTION Dracontia Luer 1986

LCDP TYPE Photo by Adam Karremans & M Diaz

Common Name The Enigma Pleurothallis [reflecting the unexpected nature of the discovery of this species which the authors initially believed would be a specimen of Stelis dies-natalis.]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Puntarenas province of Costa Rica on the southern end of the Talamanca range, growing in montane oak forests between 2435 and 2748 meters as a small sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with terete, slender ramicauls enveloped in the middle third by a thin, papyraceous, tubular, truncate sheaths and 2 more at the base and carrying a single, apical, suberect, coriaceous, elliptic, obtuse, emarginate, sessile base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, arising through a triangular, prostrate spathe, peduncle [6.7 cm] long, provided with a median tubular sheath, rachis .6" [1.5 cm] long, racemose, secund, simultaneously 1 to 3 flowered inflorescence with short, hyaline, acute, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.

"When the plant that served as type of Stelis aenigma was found the authors believed it would be a specimen of P dies-natalis; upon flowering it was clear that it was not. It can be easily distinguished from the latter by the simultaneously few-flowered inflorescence (vs. successive, five-plus flowers), the reddish (vs. dark purple) flowers, the sigmoid lip (vs. straight) and the cucullate, obtuse anther (vs. conical, acute). Among the species of Section Dracontia it is recognised by the simultaneously few-flowered inflorescence, the long, narrow sepals and yellow, sigmoid lip." Karremans and M Diaz 2017

Synonyms *Stelis aenigma Karremans & M.Díaz 2017

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

LANKESTERIANA 17(2): 197 Karremans and M Diaz 2017 as Stelis aenigma photo/drawing fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------