Pleurothallis phyllostachys Schltr. 1921 SUBGENUS Acianthera [Scheidw.] Luer 1986
Photo by © Luis Ocupa
Drawing by Carl Luer
Northern hemisphere 
Southern hemisphere 
Common Name or Meaning The Leaf Like Raceme Pleurothallis
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Antioquia and Cauca departments of Colombia Pichincha, Imbabura, Napo, Chimborazo, Bolivar and Zamora-Chinchipe peovinces of Ecuador and Piura, Amazonas, Cajamarca and Junin departments of Peru and La Paz department of Bolivia at elevations of 1550 to 2700 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cool to cold growing shortly repent epiphyte with stout rhizomes giving rise to stout, ascending to erect, compressed to sharply 2 winged, broader towards the leaf ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, thin, tubular basal sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, subacute, cuneate and decurrent below leaf that blooms in the spring and summer in the northern hemisphere and fall to winter in the southern hemisphere on an erect, arising through a spathe from the apex of the ramicaul above the insertion of the leaf, peduncle.4 to .6" [1 to 1.5 cm] long, rachis .8 to 1.2" [2 to 3 cm] long, congested, simultaneously few, several flowered inflorescence with as long as to shorter than the ovary floral bracts.
"Closely related to P casapensis but distinguished by its larger sized of plant and flower. The stout creeping rhizome produces erect, triquetrous ramicauls that bear large, erect, elliptical leaves with sides that are long decurent on the ramicaul. Consequentially the inflorescence emerges well above the base of the leaf. Except for the larger size, the flowers ae morphologically similar. They are also yellowish green to yellow becoming orange with age. The dorsal sepal is thickened towards the obtuse apex. The lateral sepals are connate into a shortly bifid lamina. The small petals are fimbriate. The lip is thick, obtuse, minutely denticulate, with broadly rounded, erect, lobeliek margins below the middle and with a pair of verrucose calli on the middle third of the disc." Luer 2004
Differs from the similar P chamensis and P casapensis by the inflorescence free from the leaf and the sepals apices.
Synonyms Acianthera phyllostachys (Schltr.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Pleurothallis coffeicola Schltr. 1929;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten IV Peru Schlechter 1921 as P phylostachys;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 27: 50. Schltr. 1929 as P coffiecola;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 as P coffeicola;
Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 5/236 Dunsterville and Garay 1972 drawing not = P discophylla ;
Orchidaceae Brasilensis Band 1 Pabst & Dungs 1975 as P coffeicola drawing ok;
Selbyana 3: 80 Luer 1976 as P coffeicola drawing fide;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as P coffeicola drawing fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986 as P coffeicola;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986 as P phyllostachys;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:245 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Acianthera phyllostchys;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:245 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Acianthera coffeicola;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera phylostachys photo fide
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