Pleurothallis glumacea Lindl. 1836 SUBGENUS Acianthera
Photo by Dalton Holland Baptista
Photos courtesy of Luiz Filipe Varella
and again
Common Name The Glumacious Pleurothallis
Flower Size 3/4" [1.9 cm]
Found in southeastern to southern Brazil on rough mossy bark in primary forests at elevations of 1300 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with an erect ramicaul carrying a single apical, erect, coriaceous, oblanceolate, acute, gradually narrowing below into the stout, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring through fall on 2 to 3 at once, racemose, 2.4" [6 cm] long, 4 to 9 flowered inflorescence arising from the apex of the ramicaul and can bloom for several years with new inflorescence from the same ramicaul and carrying fragrant flowers.
CAUTION It seems that there are 2 distinct ways that this epiteth has been used in the past. I feel that the photos above are correct but many references use this name for an orchid that has white flowers with long pedicels that dangle more than the yellow flowers which are somewhat adpressed to the inflorescence so that they appear to be sitting on it. I have not seen Lindley's original description so cannot be positive but all the synonym names [crocea, glazovii and vittelina] refer to this yellow flowered species as I have access to those drawings. I await Lindley's original description to finalize the subject!
Synonyms Acianthera glumacea (Lindl.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Humboldtia glumacea (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Pleurothallis alexandrae Schltr. 1922; Pleurothallis alexandrae Schltr. 1923; Pleurothallis crocea Barb.Rodr. 1881; Pleurothallis glaziovii Cogn. 1896; Pleurothallis vitellina Porsch 1905
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Companion Bot. Mag. 2: 355 Lindley 1837
Oesterr. Bot. Z. 55: 158 Porsch 1905 as P vitellina;
Flora Brasiliensis Vol III Part 4:545 Martius, Cogniaux 1893;
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915;
Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 103. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923 as P alexandre;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965;
Orchidaceae Brasilensis Band 1 Pabst & Dungs 1975 drawing ok;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;
Orchids of the High Mountain Atlantic Rainforest in SE Brazil Warren & Miller 1994 drawing/photo not = white flowered species;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:243 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001as Acianthera glumacea;
AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #5 2016 photo ok;
AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #7 2019 as Acianthera glumacea photo fide;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera glumacea photo fide
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