Ponthieva elata Schltr. 1920 Diptera group
Photos by Jay Pfahl
Comparison Drawing between P elata, P diptera and P garayana
Drawing by Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020
Common Name or Meaning The Stately Ponthieva
Flower Size
Found in Cundinamarca, Cauca and Valle de Cauca departments of Colombia in humid montane forests at elevations of 1900 to 2100 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with 2 to 5, basal, obliquely elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowing below into the canaliculate, glabrous petiolate base leaves that blooms in the spring on an erect, terminal, peduncle [35 to 60 cm] long, glandular towards the apex, provided with 2 to 4, sheathing bracts, rachis to 6 [15 cm] long, subdensely many flowered inflorescence with oblong, subacute, densely glandular, shorter than the oavry floral bacts and carring medium saized flowers with rather sparingly glandular sepals.
"P elata is ornamented with a hook-like, upcurved appendage near the apex while in P diptera the apical callus is distinctly bidentate." Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020
CAUTION The determinations of this group [ P elata P diptera, P garayana, P tuerckheimii] are very difficult to work with photos as there are just not enough angles of the flowers to get the lip and petals exactly right, see comparison drawing above
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 63 Schlechter 1920
Native Colombian Orchids Vol 3 COS 1991 photo fide;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 3: 106 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2020 drawing fide
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