Pleurothallis discophylla Luer & Carnevali 1993 SUBGENUS Acianthera [Scheidw.] Luer 1986
Photo by © Gustavo Romero
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foudation at the Jany Renz herbaria Website
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Common Name The Disc-Shaped Leaf Pleurothallis
Flower Size .28" [7 mm]
Found in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in wet montane forests at elevations of below 1100 meters as a miniature sized, hot to warm growing, shortly repent epiphyte with erect, sharply 3 winged, slightly broader towards the leaf ramicauls enveloped by 2 thin tubular sheaths at the base all carrying a single, apical, spreading, coriaceous, broadly elliptical to suborbicular, obtuse, more or less cordate below into the sessile base leaf that blooms in the fall and winter on very short, arising through a spathe at the apex of the ramicaul, a fascile of .2" [5 mm] long peduncles, successively single, few flowered inflorescence with as long as the pedicel floral bracts.
"Closely allied to P casapensis but P dicophylla is found below 1100 meters in warm forests. Distinguished by the creeping rhizome, erct sharply triquetrous ramicauls, spreading suborbicular leaves and a relatively large, yellow to orange flowers produced single. The dorsal sepal is erect, thickened and subverrucose towards the apex. The leteeral sepals below are connate into a broad, shortly bifid lamina. The petals are minutely serrulate. The lip is pyriform, broadly rounded, dilated and thin above the middle with smooth margins and surface. Above the base the margins are erect. A pair of subverrucose calli are present below the middle of the disc where the surface is minutely spiculate.
Synonyms Acianthera discophylla (Luer & Carnevali) Luer 2004
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Novon 3: 158 Luer & Carnevali 1993drawing fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986 as Pleurothallis coffeicola;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 as P discophylla drawing fide;
Orchids of Bolivia Vol 1 Pleurothallidinae Vasquez & Ibisch 2000 drawing fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVI Pleurothallis subgenus Acianthera and Three Allied subgenera, A Second Century of new Species of Stelis of Ecuador, Epibator, Ophidion and Zootrophion Luer 2004 as Acianthera discophylla;
Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 75(1)e069: 13 2018 A taxonomic synopsis of Acianthera (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) in Peru, including two new species Damian, Chiron and Mitidieri 2018 as Acianthera discophylla;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera discophylla photo fide
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