Stelis gigapetala Luer & R.Escobar 2017 SECTION Humboldtia

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and Harvard Pap. Bot. 22: 92 Luer 2017

Common Name The Gigantic Petal Stelis [referring to the petals more than twice larger than the lip]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Antioquia departments of Colombia at elevations around 2280 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by a tubular sheath below the middle and another 2 to 3 at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the springon 1 to 2, erect, arising through a spathe from a node near the apex of the ramicaul, peduncle 2" [5 cm] long, rachis 6 to 7.2" [15 to 18 cm] long, erect, sublax, distichous, mostly simultaneously, many flowered inflorescence with oblique, obtuse, as long as the pedicel floral bracts and carrying flowers with light green sepals, green petals and green lip.

"This large, caespitose species is characterized by one or two racemes longer than acute, elliptical leaves, and five-veined sepals. The column and lip are surrounded by proportionately large, thick, five-veined petals. The lip is shortly concave between a shallowly notched bar and a thick, flat, apical margin. The flowers of Stelis gigapetala are similar to those of Stelis galapagosensis Luer & R.Escobar, but differ with five-veined petals, and a lip with the dorsum not acutely deflexed." Luer 2017

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 22: 92 Luer 2017 Drawing fide

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