Pleurothallis forceps-cancri Luer & R. Escobar 1981 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Pleurothallis SUBSECTION Acroniae SERIES Amphygiae Luer 1998

Another Angle in situ East of Guatepe Colombia 2200 meters

Photos by Jay Pfahl

Another Flower

Flower straight on showing crab claw sepals

Photos by Eric Hunt, plant grown by the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.

Another Angle

Photo by Patricia Harding

Another Flower Color

Photo by Jorge Mario Munera

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Crab-Claw Pleurothallis

Flower Size 3/5" [1.5 cm]

Found in Choco' and Antioquia departments of Colombia at elevations around 2000 meters as a miniature sized, cool to cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with slender, erect, ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 thin, tubular sheaths and another below the middle carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, spreading, ovate, acute leaf with a sessile, shallowly cordate base that blooms in the winter on a reclining, arising from a spathe, single, successive flowered, 1" [2.5 cm] long inflorescence with an as large as the pedicel floral bract and carrying a large single flower for the size of the plant.

Closely related to P amphygia, P bucranon and P quadricaudata but differs from them by the broad petals that are long acuminate above the middle. Characterized by the purple to orange, long acuminate dorsal sepal and the purple to orange, sigmoid shaped long acuminate petals that cross in front of the flower, suggesting a pair of boiled crab claws. The lip is small and triangular with the angles narrowly obtuse." Luer 1998

Synonyms Acronia forceps-cancri (Luer & R.Escobar) Luer 2005

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Orquideologia Vol 14 #2 Luer & Escobar 1981 drawing fide;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;

Native Colombian Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991 photo fide;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XVII Systematics of Pleurothallis Section Abortivae, Truncatae, Subsection Acroniae, Subgenera Dracontia and Uncifera Luer 1998

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XVII Systematics of Pleurothallis Section Abortivae, Truncatae, Subsection Acroniae, Subgenera Dracontia and Uncifera Luer 1998 drawing fide;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Dryadella Acronia section Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia forceps-cancri;

AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #11 2020 photo fide;

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