Pleurothallis cardiophylax Rchb.f. 1888 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Lindl 1859

Drawing by Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the JanyRenz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Keeper of the Heart Pleurothallis [one of Reichenbach’s Cryptic Jokes?]

Flower Size .4” [1 cm]

Found in Colombia and Loja province of Ecuador and Cajamarca department of Peru at elevations of 1450 to 2240 meters as a cool to cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls with a close tubular sheath on the lwer third and 2 others at the base and carrying a single, apical, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, elliptical-ovate, subacute, deeply cordate below into the sessile base leaf that blooms in the spring on an arising through a reclining spathe, held within the spathe, successively single flowered inflorescence with a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract.

The three veined dorsal sepal separates this flower from P macrocardia which has 5 veins. The larger lip that fills most of the space of the synsepal separates this species from A bivalvis.

Synonyms Acronia cardiophylax (Rchb.f.) Luer 2005; Zosterophyllanthos cardiophylax (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Kulak 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Syatematics of Dryadella Systematics of Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005as Acronia cardiophylax

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Syatematics of Dryadella Systematics of Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005as Acronia cardiophylax drawing fide;

Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo no = P cordata subs rhopalocarpa

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