Stelis flagellifera Luer & R.Escobar 2016 SECTION Stelis

TYPE Drawing of by © Carl Luer

EARLY

Common Name The Whip Bearing Stelis [refers to the long inflorescence]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Putumayo department of Colombia at elevations around 2200 meters as a mini-miniature to small sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, relatively stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose, tubular sheath below the middle, another 1 to 2 at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, ovate, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in early winter on a single, arising through a spathe from a node below the apex of the ramicaul, peduncle 4 to 7.2" [10 to 18 cm], rachis to 6.8 to 13.2 " [17 to, 33 cm] long, erect, strict, lax below, congested distichous, mostly simultaneously, many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter than to as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying flowers with dull gray sepals, purple petals and lip.

"This large species is characterized by acute, ovate leaves borne by slightly shorter ramicauls with loose, tubular sheaths. A whiplike inflorescence far exceeds the leaf. The flowers are medium in size with the dorsal sepal fiveveined. The petals are three-veined, and the lip is type A with a glenion and three small calli on the dorsum." Luer 2017

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Harvard Pap. Bot. 21: 70 Luer 2016 drawing fide

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