Stelis formosa Luer & Hirtz 2002 SECTION Stelis

TYPE drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name The Beautiful Stelis

Flower Size .28" [7 mm]

Found in Loja province of southeastern Ecuador in rainforests at elevations around 3100 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing caespitose epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose tubular sheath above the middle and 2 others at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect, peduncle 2 to 3.6" [5 to 9 cm] long, arising through a spathe .4 to .6" [1 to 1.5 cm] long, with an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, rachis 4 to 5.6" [10 to 14 cm] long, strict, congested, distichous, successively several, many flowered inflorescence with conspicuous, oblique, acute, longer than the ovary floral bract and carrying rosy tan, tan or yellow, similar, fleshy, glabrous externally, densely shortly pubescent within sepals, yellow green transversly oblong petals amd a yellow green, thickly subquadrate lip.

The species is distinguished by the stout ramicaul with a loose sheath near the middle and a large obtuse, elliptical leaf with a distinct petiolate base. The floral bracts of the raceme are conspicuous, creating a saw like appearance. The sepals are densely pubescent, ovate and forma basal cup. The lip is concave anteriorly and the surface of the bar has a deep, circular glenion, while the dorsum is flat and shortly pubescent.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV A First Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV A First Century of Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002 drawing fide;

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