Pleurothallis caniceps Luer 1982 SUBGENUS Ancipitia SECTION Ancipitia Luer 1986
Photo by Weil Dreissen and The Orchidees du Nord Website
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
LATE 
Common Name The Dog Head Pleurothallis
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Alajuela province of Costa Rica in very wet forests at elevations around 1400 meters as a mini-miniature to miniature sized, cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, narrowly ancipitous ramicauls carrying a single, apical, elliptic, acute, cuneate below into the base leaf that blooms in the late spring on a .8 to .92" [2 to 2.3 cm] long peduncle, arising through a spathe, .8 to .92" [2 to 2.3 cm] long pedicel, single flowered inflorescence with 1/4 the size of the pedicel floral bracts.
"Although this small species seems most similar to Pleurothallis eumecocaulon Schltr.1923 , with which it is sympatric, it is more closely related to Pleurothallis crocodiliceps Rchb. f. 1855. Pleurothallis caniceps is easily distinguished by the lip which strongly recalls that of P. crocodiliceps. The basal lobes are suberect instead of being slender and falcate. The pyramidal callus near the base of the column, behind which the lip of P. crocodiliceps is attached, is absent. Luer 1982
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol VI Systematics of Pleurothallis subgen Ancipita, Scopula and Trisetella Luer 1989 drawing fide;
Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003;
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