Pleurothallis hydra [Karremans and C M Sm.] in ed. SUBGENUS Dracontia SECTION Dracontia Luer 1986

TYPE Drawing by © C M Smith and Diego Bogarin and Systematic Botany, 38(2): pp. 307–315 A Note on Genus Dracontia (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae), with a New Species Adam P. Karremans and Chris Smith-Martin 2012

EARLY

Common Name Hydra's Pleurothallis [In most versions of the legend the Hydra had nine heads and would produce more if one was cut. Likewise, this species commonly produces around nine flowers, but may develop more if they die off or are removed]

Flower Size .24 [6 mm]

Found in Cartago province of Costa Rica in wet montane forests of the in the Central Volcanic Cordillera at elevations of 1000 to 1550 meters as a small sized, cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with terete ramicals enveloped almost compltetly by a thin, tubular sheath with 2 much shorter ones at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptic, sessile, obtuse, apex emarginate and apiculate, gradually narrowing below into the base leaf that blooms in the late spring, summer and early fall on an erect, arising through a long triangular spathe, peduncle 7.6" [19 cm] long, rachis 5.4" [13.5 cm] long, successively 3 to 4, to 9+ flowered inflorescence with short, acute, much shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.

"Pleurothallis hydra is similar to P conochila , but differs in its larger flowers (dorsal sepal .64" [16 mm] long and .24" [6 mm] wide vs. .32" [8 mm] long and .15" [3.75 mm] wide), the sepals hirsute at the apex (vs. glabrous), and linearligulate (vs. narrowly conical) lip. Pleurothallis conochila’s type specimen was collected at around 700 meters in elevation in the Caribbean watershed of the Talamanca Cordillera, while P hydra is from around 1100 to 1500 meters in the Central Volcanic Cordillera." Karremans & Bogarin 2013

Synonyms *Dracontia hydra Karremans & C.M.Sm. 2012; Stelis hydra (Karremans & C.M.Sm.) Karremans 2015

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Systematic Botany, 38(2): pp. 307–315 A Note on Genus Dracontia (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae), with a New Species Adam P. Karremans and Chris Smith-Martin 2012 as Dracontia hydra drawing/photo fide; Phytotaxa 203: 292 Karremans 2015 as Stelis hydra

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