Pleurothallis boliviana Rchb.f. 1855 SUBGENUS Acianthera [Scheidw.] Luer 1986
Photo by © Andy Philipps and Andy's Orchids Website
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
Common Name The Bolivian Pleurothallis
Flower Size .2" [5mm]
Found in La Paz and Cochabamba departments of Bolivia at elevations of 600 to 2450 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cold, caespitose to shortly repent growing epiphyte with ascending-erect, terete ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 basal, close, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, elliptical, subconduplicate, acute to subacute, cuneate below into the sessile base leaf that blooms in the late spring and summer on an erect, arising through a spathe at the base of the leaf, distichous, compressed, 2 to 2.8" [5 to 7 cm] long, simultaneously few flowered inflorescence and has narrowly acute, conduplicate, longer than the ovary floral bracts.
"Closely related to P tricarinata but differs in the smaller habit, smaller flowers not engulfed by large, compressed floral bracts. Both have compressedpeduncle and rachis. The fleshy rigid sepals are similar with tall, thick, carinae and with the laterals connate. The petals are acute and the lip is bicarinate and oblong." Luer 2004
Synonyms Acianthera boliviana (Rchb.f.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Humboltia boliviana (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 224 Rchb.f 1855
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1984;
Orchids of Bolivia Vol 1 Pleurothallidinae Vasquez & Ibisch 2000 drawing fide/photo fide;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:242 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Acianthera boliviiana;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera boliviana photo fide
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