Pleurothallis tunguraguae F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1899 SUBGENUS Crocodeilanthe [Rchb.f & Warsc.]Luer 1986
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
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Common Name The Volcan Tungurahua Pleurothallis [also known as Volcan Tunguragua]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia at elevations around 1800 to 2800 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cool to cold growing, densely caespitose epiphyte with fasciculate, erect, slender ramicauls with a closely adpressed, tubular sheath near the middle and 2 to 3 imbricating, tubular sheaths at the thickened base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute to subacute, cuneate below into the slender petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late winter through summer on 2 to 5, simultaneous, distichous, arising through a slender spathe from an annulus below the abscission layer, 4 to 5.2" [10 to 13 cm] long, including the .4 to .8" [ 1 to 2 cm] long peduncle, simultaneously and densely many flowered inflorescence with a shorter to as long as the ovary floral bract.
" Closely related to P floribunda but distinguished by the closely appressed sheaths of the ramicauls with racemes shorter, as long as, oe a little longer than the leaves. The sepals are acute and slightly acuminate, the petals are narrow, single veined and acute and the callous lateral lobes of the three lobed lip are erect and acute. Another distinguishing factor is the obtuse but often acuminate, anterior lobe of the lip which bears a low thickened callus." Luer 1998
Synonyms Crocodeilanthe tunguraguae (F.Lehm. & Kraenzl.) Luer 2004; Pleurothallis tunguraguae var. minor Garay 1956; Stelis tunguraguae (F.Lehm. & Kraenzl.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 26: 439 F Lehm, & Kraenzl. 1899;
Canad. J. Bot. 34: 255 Garay 1956 as P tunguraguae var minor;
Selbyana 1: 298 Luer 1975 drawing fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986 ;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XVI Systematics of Pleurothallis SUBGEN Crocodeilanthe, Rhynchopera and Talpinaria Luer 1998 drawing fide;
Orchids of Bolivia Vasquez & Ibisch Vol 1 2000 drawing fide;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:267 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Stelis tungurahuae;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 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 Crocodeilanthe tunguraguae
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