Pleurothallis herpethophyton Schltr. 1929 SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Muscosae Lindl. 1842
Photo by © Juan Sebastian Moreno and LANKESTERIANA 23(2). Karremans, Moreno, Gil-Amaya, Morales, Espinosa, Mesa, Restrepo, Rincon-Gonzales, Serna, Sierra-Ariza and Vieira-Uribe 2023
Another flower? too ciliate sepals, petals not
Photo by © The Ecuagenera Orchid Website
Drawing by Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
Common Name or Meaning The Snake-Like Pleurothallis [refers to the repent habit of the plant]
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia on the eastern slopes of the Andes at elevations around 1050 to 1150 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing, repent epiphyte with ascending to erect ramcauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute to subacute, gradually narrowing below into the base leaf that blooms in the winter and spring on a racemose, 1 to a few, arising through a spathe with an annulus below the abscission layer, simultaneous, comparatively stout, more or less secund to distichous, of .48 to 8.8" [12 to 22cm] long, densely and simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with just shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Similar to P sertularioides but the narrowly elliptical, erect leaves are produced on shoprt ramicauls along a prostrate rhizome. The inflorescence is an abbreviated, successively 2 flowered raceme. The three sepals are free, the petals are acute and the lip is oblong and ciliate witha pair of basal lobes." Luer 2006
CAUTION!!! The first photo is absolutely correct for the flower but not the leaves which are not narrowly elliptical. The second photo the sepals and petals are pilose and the type drawing does not have this as well as the lip is channeled too deep towards the base.
Synonyms Anathallis herpetophyton (Schltr.) Luer 2009; Panmorphia herpethophyton (Schltr.) Luer 2006; Specklinia herpethophyton (Schltr.) Luer 2004
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
*Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 27: 52 Schlechter 1929
Orchids of Bolivia Vol 1 Pleurothallidinae Vasquez & Ibisch 2000;
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 herpethophyton;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII A Reconsideration of Masadevallia Systematics of Specklinia Luer 2006 as Panmorphia herpethophyton
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII A Reconsideration of Masadevallia Systematics of Specklinia Luer 2006 as Panmorphia herpethophyton drawing ok;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Systematics of Stelis of Ecuador 4 Luer 2009 as Anathallis herpethophyton;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Anathallis herpetophyton photo fide;
LANKESTERIANA 23(2). Karremans, Moreno, Gil-Amaya, Morales, Espinosa, Mesa, Restrepo, Rincon-Gonzales, Serna, Sierra-Ariza and Vieira-Uribe 2023 as Anathallis herpetophyton photo fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
