Pleurothallis macrocardia Rchb.f. 1855 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciclatae Lindl. 1859
Another Flower in situ Cundinamarca, Colombia 6/06
Another Plant with multiple Flowers in situ in Cundinamarca Colombia 6/06Any Suggestions?
Plant in situ in Cundinamarca Colombia
Photos by Jay Pfahl ©.
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
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Common Name The Large Heart Pleurothallis [refers to the large cordate leaves]
Flower Size 1" wide [2.5 cm]
Found in Norte de Santander and Cundinamarca departments of Colombia, Carchi province of Ecuador and Cochabamba department of Bolivia at elevations of 1770 to 3200 meters in dwarf scub forests on the ground and on the base of trees as a large sized, cool to cold growing, caespitose terrestrial and epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped basally by a close tubular sheath on the lower third and 2 others at the base and carrying an apical, cordate, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, ovate, subacute, acuminate leaf that blooms in the summer through late fall on a short, arising through a reclining spathe and held close to the leaf, single, successively few flowered inflorescence with a tubular, shorter than the pedicel floral bract.
"Distinguished by the large habit with ovate, acuinate, deeply cordate leaves. The flower is large with the diorsal sepal usually more than .52" [13 mm] long, and 5 to 7 veined. The petals are narrowly oblong, minutely pubescent and minutely deniculate. The lip is proportionally large, ovate, convex, cellular-papillose with minutely fringed margins. It nearly fills the space as it lies atop the synsepal. It is distinguished from P cardiophyllax by a 5 to 7 veined dorsal sepal and minutely pubescent and denticulate petals." Luer 2005
CAUTION The third pictured orchid may not be P macrocardia as it is multiflowered and most descriptions have it with a single successive flower but both the single and double flowered plants were found within a few feet of each other in Cundinamarca Colombia at an elevations of 3000 meters in dark dwarf scrub cloud forest.
Synonyms Acronia macrocardia (Rchb.f.) Luer 2005; Humboldtia macrocardia (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Pleurothallis pulvinipes Schltr. 1921; Zosterophyllanthos pulvinipes (Schltr.) Szlach. & Marg. 2001
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 72 Rchb.f 1855;
Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 7: 529 1921 as P pulvinipes;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986 as P pulvinipes;
Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Systematics of Dryadella Systematics of Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia macrocardia
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Systematics of Dryadella Systematics of Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia macrocardia drawing fide
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