Stelis atra Lindl. 1846 SECTION Stelis

Photo by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website

Drawing

Drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name The Matte Black Stelis

Flower Size .015" [3mm]

Found in Merida state of Venezuela, Norte de Santander and Santander departments of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in rainforests at elevations around 2000 to 2800 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool to cold growing, ascending, long repent epiphyte with slender, distant stems enveloped by 2 to 4 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptic-oblong, subacute, tridenticulate, gradually narrowing below into the short, canaliculate, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an [rarely more than one] arising from a small sheath at the leaf base and slightly shorter to just longer than the leaf, erect, 3" [7.5 cm] long, many flowered, racemose inflorescence with oblique, infundibular, longer than the ovary floral bracts.

Characterized by the long-ascending rhizome with distant ramicauls, elliptical, long-petiolate leaves and a congested raceme of small yellow flowers about as long as, or slightly longer than the leaf. The sepals are broadly ovate, obtuse and glabrous, the petals are semilunate and the lip is broadly triangular with a large glenion and a rounded callus on the dorsum." Luer 2004 as S epibator

Synonyms Stelis atra var. boliviana T.Hashim. 1976; Stelis dispar C.Schweinf. 1951; Stelis epibator Luer & Hirtz 2004; Stelis hallii var. atra (Lindl.) Garay & C.Schweinf. 1970

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Orchid. Linden.: 3 Lindley 1846;

Fieldiana, Bot. 28(1): 177 Schweinfurth 1951 S dispar;

Orchids of Peru Vol 1 Schweinfurth 1958 as S dispar;

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 4 Dunsterville & Garay 1966 drawing good;

Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 2 Foldats 1970 drawing hmm;

Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 as S dispar drawing ok;

Orchids of Peru First Supplement Schweinfurth 1970 as S hallii var atra;

Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing good;

Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing good;

Orquideas de Bolivia Vol 1 Vasquez & Ibisch 2000;

Pleurothallis Subgenus Acianthera and three allied subgenera A Second Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2004 as S epibator;

Pleurothallis Subgenus Acianthera and three allied subgenera A Second Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2004 as S epibator drawing fide

Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz, Compendium Duque 2008 MAYBE, color wrong;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009drawing fide;

* Selbyana 32(1,2): 17 Luer & Vasquez 2018;

Selbyana 32(1,2): 130 Luer & Vasquez 2018 Drawing fide;

Harvard Pap. Bot. 23: 147 Luer & Escobar 2018 as S dispar drawing fide

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