Pleurothallis hieroglyphica Ames 1908 SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Effusae Lindl. 1842 Photo courtesy of Noble Bashor.

Common Name The Hieroglyphic Pleurothallis

Flower Size .2" [5mm]

Michoacan Mx., 2256m elev., east of Ciudad Hidalgo, epiphytic on oaks on steep hillside.

Found in Jalisco, Michoacan, Mexico, Morelo and Guerrero states of Mexico, in seasonally dry pine-oak forests at elevations of 1900 to 2400 meters as a miniature to small sized cool growing epiphyte with an erect, terete ramicaul enveloped by tubular, scarious-fibrous sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, oblong, fleshy, dark green-blackish, retuse and tridenticualte apically, often recurved, conduplicate and subpetiolate basally, revolute margins that blooms at most any time of the year on to 7, apical, erect to reclining on the leaf, 3/4" to 2.4" [2 to 6 cm] long, racemose, few flowered inflorescence that has successive opening flowers held at the leaf base.

This species is most likely a synonym of Pleurothallis retusa as it has precedence by being published earlier. It does seem to be a dead ringer for Pleurothallis aristocratica which also is most likely a synonym of P retusa.

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 McVaugh 1985; Systematics of Pleurothallis Vol 3 Luer 1986; Icones Orchidacearum fascile 10 plate 1098 Hagsater & Soto 2008 as Stelis retusa

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