Pleurothallis montezumae Luer 1996 SUBGENUS Empusella Luer 1986

Photo by © Karremans,

TYPE Drawing of Gerardoa montezumae

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Cerro Montezuma Pleurothallis [A mountain in Costa Rica]

Flower Size .2" [5mm]

Found only in Alajuela province of Costa Rica at elevations around 600 meters as a small sized, warm growing, caespitose epiphyte with an erect, slender ramicaul enveloped by 2 to 3, tubular, acuminate sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptic, acute, cuneate below into the elongate, channeled, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer on a arising from low on the ramicaul.4 to .6" [1 to 1.5 cm] long, successively 2 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the pedicel floral bract.

This species is very similar to P fulgens but this one differs in having a verrucose and denticulate lip above the middle and has no lateral lobes. The column foot is concave between a pair of calli as seen in Zootrophion. This species is also similar to P guanacastensis but differs in the tall carinate, apiculate sepals amd the apiculate apex of the lip and a pair of calli flanking the cavity on the column foot.

P montezumae is in a group of closely related species which include P endotrachys, P deuterodunstervillei, P pfavii, P deuteroremotiflora, P spectabilis, P juddii, P fulgens, and P guanacastensis.

Synonyms Gerardoa montezumae (Luer) Luer 2006; Kraenzlinella rinkei Luer 2011; Specklinia montezumae (Luer) Luer 2004

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Harvard Pap. Bot. 16(2): 326. Thoerle and Werner 2011 as Kraenzlinella rinkei drawing fide

* Lindleyana 11(2): 83, f. 20. Luer 1996;

Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003;

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 montezumae;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII A Reconsideration of Masdevallia Systematics of Specklinia Luer 2006 as Gerardoa montezumae

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVIII A Reconsideration of Masdevallia Systematics of Specklinia Luer 2006 as Gerardoa montezumae drawing fide;

Harvard Pap. Bot. 16: 326 Luer 2011 as Kraenzlinella rinkei;

AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #7 2016 as Kraenzlinella rinkei photo fide;

Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Specklinia montezumae photo fide

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