Pleurothallis fornicata Luer 1996 SUBGENUS Effusae Luer 2000
Photo by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website
Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name or Meaning The Arcuate Pleurothallis [The Arching Pleurothallis [refers to the arched inflorescence]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Loja province of southern Ecuador and Amazonas department of northern Peru at elevations around 1700 to 2400 meters as a small sized, cool to cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below into the indistinct petiolate base leaf that blooms fall on an erect then arching, arising through a narrow, deciduous spathe at the apex of the ramicaul, loose, distichous, to 4.8" [12 cm] long, successviely many flowered inflorescence with an oblique, acute, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Similar to P arcuata with ramicauls shorter than the acute [instead of Obtuse] elliptical leaves and a gradually lengthening, flexuous raceme of successive flowers. The brown spotted flowers re also simialr, but the dorsal sepal remains concave without reflexion of the sides. The synsepal has a distinct mentum near the middle and the cuneate petals are abruptly truncate at the apex. The petals of P arcuata are trilobulate and minutely verrucose externally." Luer 2000
Synonyms Effusiella fornicata Luer 2007; Specklinia fornicata (Luer) Luer 2004; Stelis fornicata (Luer) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Schweinfurth 1970 as P arcuata;
* Lindleyana 11: 160 Luer 1996 Drawing fide;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:263 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Stelis fornicata;
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 Specklinia fornicata;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda=Prorepentia Luer 2007 as Effusiella fornicata
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