Pleurothallis testifolia (Sw.) Lindl. 1858 SUBGENUS Acianthera [Scheidw.] Luer 1986
Photo by Karremans
Photo by David Morris
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Brick-Red Leaf Pleurotallis
Flower Size 1/10" [2.5 mm]
Found in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Windwards, Surinam Venezuela and Colombia in wet montane forests at elevations of 825 to 1000 meters as a miniature sized, warm growing, unifoliate, repent epiphyte with clustered, descending ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 papery, inflated sheaths and carrying a single apical, elliptical, subacute, green, brown blotched leaf that is cuneate into the petiole and blooms in the winter on an apical, that is held close to the leaf base, short, single flowered inflorescence shorter than the ovary floral bracts.
"Characterized by a repent rhizome that often hangs down on tree trunks. The pendent or prostrate leaves area elliptical and often alternately overlapping. The small darkly colored flower emerges within a spathe at the base of the leaf. The sepals are variously pubescent, the laterals connate into a concave synsepal. The lip is fimbriate-spiculate with small lateral lobes above the base." Luer 2007
Synonyms Acianthera testifolia (Sw.) Solano 2011; Apoda-prorepentia testifolia (Sw.) Luer 2004; Cryptophorantus pectiantus Schlechter 1923; Cryptophoranthus sarcophyllus (Rchb.f.) Schltr. 1919; Cymbidium testifolium Sw. 1806; *Epidendrum testifolium Sw. 1788; Humboldtia sarcophylla (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Humboldtia testifolia (Sw.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia testifolia (Sw.) Kuntze 1891; Pleurothallis helleriana L.O.Wms. 1964; Pleurothallis sarcophylla Rchb.f. 1855; Pleurothallis testifolia (Sw.) Lindl. 1858
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Prodr. 122. Sw. 1788; as Epidendrum testifolium;
Nova Acta Regiae Soc. Sci. Upsal., ser. 2, 6: 71 Swartz 1799 as Cymbidium testaeifolium;
* Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, 1: 328 Lindley 1858;
Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 224 Rchb.f 1855 as P sarcophylla;
Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 668 Kuntze 1891 as Humboldtia sarcophylla
Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 668 Kuntze 1891 as Humboldtia testifolia;
Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae pg 414 Urban 1909;
Flora of Jamaica Fawcett & Rendle 1910;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 6: 57 Schlechter 1919 as Cryprophoranthos sarcophyllus;
Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 277. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923 as Cryptophoranthus pectinatus;
Flore Descriptive des Antilles Francaises H. Stehle 1939 drawing good;
Fieldiana, Bot. 31: 42 L O Williams 1964 as P helleriana;
Venezuelan Orchids Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1965 drawing ok;
AOS Bulletin Vol 38 No 6 1969;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 drawing ok;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as Cryptophoranthus sarcophyllus;
Flora of the Lesser Antilles Garay & Sweet 1974 as P testaefolia drawing ok;
Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 7 385 - 448 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1975 as Cryptophoranthus pectinatus;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as P testaefolia drawing ok;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1127 Dodson 1984 as P testaefolia drawing good;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;
Catologo Descriptivo de Las Orquideas Cubanas Acuna 1987;
Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide;
Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing ok;
Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000;
Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003;
Systematics and evolution of the genus Pleurothallis R. Br. (Orchidaceae) in the Greater Antilles Hagen Stenzel 2004 drawing fide;
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 Antilla testaefolia;
The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 as Apoduim-prorepentia testaefolia photo fide;
Icones Pleurothallidiane A Third Century of Stelis Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Vol XXIX Luer 2007 as Apoda-Prorepentia testifolia
Icones Pleurothallidiane A Third Century of Stelis Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Vol XXIX Luer 2007 as Apoda-Prorepentia testifolia drawing fide;
Acta Bot. Mex. 97: 50 Solano 2011 as Acianthera testifolia;
Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014 drawing;
Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as Acianthera testaefolia photo fide;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera testifolia photo fide
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