Scaphosepalum xystra Luer 1988 SECTION Scaphosepalum
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer
Common Name The Rasp Scaphosepalum [refers to the stiff verrucose Inflorescence]
Flower Size 1/4" [8mm]
Found in La Guajira department of Colombia and Zulia state of Venezuela at elevations around 2400 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped baslly by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptic, acute, suffused with purple, gradually narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in summer on an erect, distichous, flexuous, many flowered, racemose, lax below congested above, 16" [40 cm] long, coarsely verrucose inflorescence with conduplicate, oblique, narrowly obtuse floral bracts.
"Distinguished from other species of the genus by the tall, erect, verrucose peduncle and papillose ovary, medium sized flowers with smooth sepals, the thick, short, middle sepal, comparitively thick tails of the lateral sepals, the tall fimbriateed lamellae of the lip and the triangularly winged column. Superficually the habit suggest Scaphosepalum lima and the flowers suggest Scaphosepalum breve
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol V Systematics of Dresslerella and Scaphosepalum Luer 1988 drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 drawing ok
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