Pleurothallis gargantua Luer 1996 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Lindl. 1859
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
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Common Name The Giant Pleurothallis
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm] x 3" [7.5cm]
Found in Carchi province of Ecuador on steep forests at elevations around 1500 to 2500 meters as a large sized, warm to cool growing, caespitose terrestrial orchid with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 4 tubular sheaths and another below the middle and carrying a single, apical, spreading, coriaceous, broadly ovate, acute, basally sessile and deeply cordate leaf that blooms in the winter and spring on a short, arising through a spathe at the leaf base, fascile of successively single flowered inflorescence witha shorter than the pedicel floral bract and holding the flower close against the base of the leaf.
This species flower is the largest of the genus and the other giant leafed relatives are P imperialis, P teaguei and P reginae all of Section Macrophyllae-Fasciclatae and P colossus of Section Macrophyllae-Racemosae.
Synonyms Acronia gargantua (Luer) Luer 2005; Zosterophyllanthos gargantua (Luer) Szlach. & Kulak, Richardiana 6: 134 (2006
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 4 2003 photo fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Systematics of Dryadella Systematics of Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia gargantua
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Systematics of Dryadella Systematics of Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia gargantua drawing fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 8 2006 drawing fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #11 2012 as Stelis gargantuaphoto fide;
Orchids of Tropical America Meisel 2014 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #11 2020 photo fide;
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