Pleurothallis vierlingii [Baumbach] in ed. SUBGENUS Specklinia SECTION Hymenodanthae SECTION Apodae-Caespitosae

Photo by © Wiel Driessen

Common Name Vierling's Pleurothallis [German cultivator of the type current]

Flower Size

Found in Costa Rica as a mini-miniature sized epiphyte with slender, erect, terete ramicauls enveloped by 2 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, narrowly obovate, thick, coriaceous, acute, conduplicate, emarginate, with a short apiculus, cuneate below into the indistinct, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring, summer and fall on a racemose, distichous, glabrous, patent, erect to suberect, peduncle slender, filiform 1.68 to 2.08" [4.2 to 5.2 cm] long, rachis congested, appearing fasciculate, up to .44" [1.1 cm] long, 2.4" [6 cm] long overall, shorter than the leaves, successively single, few flowered inflorescence with ovate, acute, conduplicate, membranaceous, tubular, imbricating, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.

"This species was published by Baumbach (2012) based on a plant collected in Costa Rica and imported to Germany. According to the protologue, the plant comes from the Botanischer Garten Heidelberg and has been in culture by Gerhard Vierling. The holotype was deposited outside of the country of origin (HAL). During the preparation of this research, this species was well known by the authors for several localities in central and southern Pacific in Costa Rica, where it is endemic. It is clearly characterized by the yellowish-cream flowers with purple speckles or blotches, sometimes with purple veins. The most important feature to recognize this species is the narrowly oblong petals to .16 to .2" x .04 to .06" [4.0 to 5.0 × 1.0 to 1.5 mm], unique among its relatives. Baumbach (2012) differentiated P. vierlingii from P. condylata by the much bigger flower size and the fimbriate lip. However, we found that floral measurements overlap between P. condylata and P. vierlingii and the lip is also fimbriate in both species. Close relatives include P berolinensis, P condylata, P acoana and P acoana" Bogarin 2014

Synonyms *Specklinia vierlingii Baumbach 2012

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Orchidee (Hamburg) 63: 405 Baumbach 2012;

Lankesteriana 12[3]: 185- 206 Bogarin 2014 as Specklinia vierlingii photo/drawing fide;

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

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