Stelis columnaris Lindl. 1859
SECTION Stelis
Photo by © Alexander Reynolds and The U C Davis Website
Another Angle showing elongate column
Photo by © The Ecuagenera Website
Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Columnar Stelis [refers to the elongate column]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Pinchincha province of Ecuador and Peru at elevations around 1900 to 3100 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool to cold growing, long-repent epiphyte on tree trunks with an ascending rhizome giving rise to branching ramicauls enveloped mostly by tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, narrowing below into the short petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer and fall on a 3.2" [8 cm] long, racemose, distichous, slightly flexuous, laxly few flowered inflroescence with small, navicular floral bracts that are slightly shorter than the ovary.
Compared to Stelis eustylis because both have elongated columns, but S columnaris is a long-repent species and S eustylis is caespitose. S columnaris is chracerized by the repent habit with ascending ramiucals. The leaves are narrowly elliptic, and surpassed by a congested raceme with small purple or yellow flowers. The broad, obtuse sepals are papillose within, The petals are transverse, thin and small, reaching only part way up the back of the elongate column. The lip is thin and discoid, a variation of type "C". Luer 2009
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
*Fol. Orchid. 8: 15 Lindley 1859;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda Prorepentia Luer 2007 COMPARED TO Stelis eustylis;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing fide;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009 drawing fide
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