Pleurothallis prolifera Herb. ex Lindl. 1830 SUBGENUS Acianthera [Scheidw.] Luer 1986
Plant in situ La Caraça, Minas Gerais elevation 1100 to 1300 meters
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Luiz Filipe Varella
Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Rich Fruiting Pleurothallis
Flower Size about .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm]
Found in Guyana, Venezuela, Bolivia and Rio De Janiero, Distrito federal, Bahia, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo Brazil in cloud forests at elevations of 1300 to 1600 meters in areas with hot dry days and cool nights with frequent dews as a small sized, cool growing, shortly repent lithophyte or terrestrial with erect stems enveloped basally by 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, descending, fleshy-coriaceous, ovate to lanceolate, acute, basally conduplicate leaf that blooms at most any time of the year on an apical, pendant, 3/4" [2 cm] long, fasciculate, few to several flowered inflorescence with as long as to shorter than the pedicel floral bracts that holds the flowers flat along mid-leaf.
"Characterized by a compressed ramicauland a more or less deflexed, sessile, thickly coriaceous, concave-conduplicate leaf. The usually dark red-purple flowers aer borne within the cavity on a short, congested raceme. Size and flower color are variable." Luer 2004
Grow on treefern with cold to cool temperatures, bright light, moderate shade and a little less water than with most other Pleurothallis. Shady grown plants do not become as deeply concave nor pigmented, if at all.
Synonyms Acianthera prolifera (Herb. ex Lindl.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001; Humboldtia prolifera (Herb. ex Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia prolifera (Herb. ex Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Pleurothallis lithophila Barb. Rodr. 1907
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Edwards's Bot. Reg. 15: t. 1298 Herb ex Lindley 1830 drawing fide;
Flora Brasiliensis Vol III Part 4:416 Martius, Cogniaux 1893;
Contr. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 4: 100 Barb Rodr. 1907 as P lithophila;
Flora Brasilica Vol XII I Hoehne 1940 drawing ok;
Venezuelan Orchids Vol 4 Dunsterville & Garay 1966 drawing ok;
Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 drawing ok;
Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 7 385 - 448 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1975 photo fide;
Orchidaceae Brasilensis Band 1 Pabst & Dungs 1975 drawing ok;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing ok;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Systematics of Pleurothallis Luer 1986 drawing fide;
Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide;
Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing ok;
Orchids of Bolivia Vasquez & Ibisch Vol 1 2000 drawing fide;
Lindleyana Vol 16 No 4:245 Pridgeon & M.W.Chase 2001 as Acianthera prolifera;
Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003;
Orquideas Da Chapada Diamantina Brito & Cribb 2005 drawing/photo good;
The Organ Mountain Range Its History and Its Orchids Miller, Warren, Miller and Seehawer 2008 drawing fide;
Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo good;
AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #3 2016 drawing fide;
Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Acianthera prolifera photo fide
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