Stelis cuencana Schltr. 1921 SECTION Stelis

Drawing by © Schlechter

Common Name The Cuenca Stelis [refers to the plants location]

Flower Size

Found in Azuay province of southeastern Ecuador at elevations around 1600 to 2000 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing, ascending repent epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by several elongated tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, linear-oblanceolate, obtuse, apiculate, narrowing below into the base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, slender, 4.4" [11 cm] long, including the peduncle, mostly simultaneously many flowered inflorescence and has obliquely infundibular, scarious, as long as to shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying flowers with yellow sepals, purple petals and a purple lip.

This species and S piestopus have both been said to be synonyms of S tricardium by many authors but Luer keeps them separate. All three are related to S argentata .

Synonyms Stelis excavata Luer & Hirtz 2002

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 8: 53 Schlechter 1921 drawing fide;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Luer 2002

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV Luer 2002 as S excavata drawing fide;

Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz Duque 2008;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Luer 2009

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