Pleurothallis cactantha Luer 1976 SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Sylphia
Photo by © Wiel Driessen
Photo by © Orchid Website
Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name or Meaning The Cactus-Flower Pleurothallis [refers to the spiculate sepals]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Panama and Cocle provinces of Panama and Risaralda department of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations around 650 to 1650 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 thin. tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, dark green to blue green, elliptical, subacute to obtuse, marginate, cuneate below into the indistinct, subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring and summer on a fascile, of congested, slender, suberect, sparsely spiculate, 1/2 to .8" [1.3 to 2 cm] long, successively single, few flowered inflorescence held beyond the leaf with thin, tubular, imbricating floral bracts.
"Plants are distinguished by their clumps of thick, little, oblong, blue-green leaves, lighter in color along the margins and mid-rib. They are locally abundant on the mossy branches of the larger trees, and untold quantities are dying as a result of clearing the land. Hair-like peduncles bear at their apices beyond the apices of the leaves, a fascicle of old pedicels, and at intervals an oversized flower. A faint pink flush appears in an otherwise white flower covered with minute, sparkling prickles. The rosy-suffused petals and red lip are visible through the tranlucent, long-attenuate sepals. The red lip is simple with intramarginal lamellae." Luer 1976
Synonyms Specklinia cactantha (Luer) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Sylphia cactantha (Luer) Luer 2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Selbyana 3(1–2): 72–73, f. 139 Luer 1976 Drawing fide;
Icones Pleurothallidianrum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4 2001 as Specklinia cactantha
Icones Pleurothallidianrum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Sylphia cactantha
Icones Pleurothallidianrum Vol XXVIII Luer 2006 as Sylphia cactantha drawing fide;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Specklnia cactantha photo fide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
