Restrepia flosculata Luer 1982 SUBGENUS Restrepia SECTION Pleurothallopsis Schltr. 1918

Alba Variety

Plant and Flowers Photos by © Milan Vagner.

Another Flower Angle Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Small Flowered Restrepia

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Valle de Cauca department of Colombia and Imbabura and Carchi p[rovinces of Ecuador as a cloud forest, small to medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte at elevations of 1200 to 1800 meters in with erect, stout, ramicauls enveloped basally by 6 to 8, thin, whitish, loose, oblique, compressed, brown spotted, somewhat imbricating sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, ovate, acute, broadly cuneate or rounded base contracted intothe twisted petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall and winter on a slender, .8 to 1.3" [2 to 2.8 cm] long, successively single flowered inflorescence arising in a fascile on the back of the leaf and carrying a thin, tubular, shorter than the ovary floral bract.

"Easily distinguished by the often large habit and a small, short-pedunculate, more or less flat flower borne behind the base of the leaf. The color of the originally described specimen was yellow, but flowers variously spotted or striped in either purple or orange have subsequently been found to be intermixed among unspotted flowers. The narrowly clavate petals are decurved. The small lip is broadly oblong without an obvious demarcation between the epihile and the hypochile." Luer 1996

Louren's photo with the pure yellow flower above is the atypical Restrepia flosculata var. pallens. Restrepia flosculata var picta has the yellow and red striped more normaly found flowers.

Synonyms Restrepia flosculata f. picta (H.Mohr & Herzum) O.Gruss & M.Wolff 2007; Restrepia flosculata subsp. picta (H. Mohr & Herzum) H. Mohr 1996; Restrepia flosculata var. pallens H. Mohr & Herzum 1993; Restrepia flosculata var. picta H. Mohr & Herzum 1993

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Selbyana 7: 127 Luer 1982; Schlechteriana Vol 4 No 1/2 1993 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol VIII Systematics of Restrepia Luer 1996 drawing/photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003 photo; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 7 2017 photo fide;

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