Stelis coronaria Luer 2004 SUBGENUS Stelis Duque 2008
Photo by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website
TYPE Drawing by Carl Luer and The Epidendra Website
Common Name The Crown Stelis [refers to the rim around the central apparatus of the lip]
Flower Size .16" [4 mm]
Found in Carchi province of Ecuador in montane forests at elevations around 1500 to 1600 meters as a small sized, cool growing, densely caespitose ascending epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by a tubular sheath in the middle third and another 1 to 2 sheaths at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer and fall on a strict, erect, arising through a spathe with an annulus from below the apex of the ramicaul, 4 to 6 " [10 to 15 cm] long, congested, distichous, simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with short, tubular, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying opposite facing, rose colored flowers.
"Charcterized by the ascending, thickly caespitose habit. The leaves are thinly coriaceous, and narrowly elliptical. The slim, congested raceeme of numerous, small, short pedicellate flowers exceeds the leaf. The sepals are broadly ovate, broadly obtuse and connate to near the middle with a ciliate, circular ridge enclosing the basal third around the petals, column and lip. Within the circle they are glabrous, while short-pubescent beyond the circle with capitate hairs. The petals are crescent shaped and the apex of the lip is round with a minute apiculum." Luer 2004
CAUTION The picture quality does not allow for a psoitive ID so please use with caution. The drawing is absolutely correct!
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
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