Pleurothallis dies-natalis [Karremans & M.Díaz] in ed. SUBGENUS Dracontia SECTION Dracontia Luer 1986

LCDP TYPE Photo by Adam Karremans & M Diaz

Common Name The Birthday Pleurothallis [In honor of C A Luer's 95th Birthday]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in San Jose province of Costa Rica on the north end of the Talamanca range, growing in montane oak forest at an elevation of about 2700 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, acute, emarginate, sessile base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect, arising through a triangular, prostrate spathe, peduncle [6.3 to 7.5 cm] long, provided with a median tubular sheath, rachis .84 to 2.04" [2.1 to 5.1 cm] long, elongating in time, racemose, secund, successively few, 5 flowered inflorescence with short, hyaline, acute shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.

"Stelis dies-natalis is recognised by the relatively large plants with short, successive inflorescences, born from a small bract, the apiculate petals, the short, thick, conspicuously apiculate lip that is yellow with dark purple warts. It is somewhat similar to Stelis hydra but can be distinguished especially by the short inflorescence bearing dark purple flowers, with a yellow lip covered by dark purple warts, the apex of the petals apiculate and the lip with a shortly acuminate apicule." Karremans & M.Díaz 2017

Synonyms *Stelis dies-natalis Karremans & M.Díaz 2017

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* LANKESTERIANA 17(2): 194 Karremans and M Diaz 2017 photo/drawing fide;

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