Stelis gongylophora Luer & R.Escobar 2017 SECTION Humboldtia

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Ball Bearing Stelis [refers to the ball-like callus on the lip]

Flower Size .12" [3 cm]

Found in Antioquia department of Colombia at elevations around 2400 meters as small to just medium sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by a tubular sheath below the middle and another 1 to 2 below and at the base and carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, erect, elliptical, subacute, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on 2 to 5 simultaneous, arising through a spathe from a node at the apex of the ramicaul, peduncle .4" [1 cm] long, rachis 2.8 to 3.2" [7 to 8 cm] long, erect, strict, sublax, mostly simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying light green, glabrous flowers.

"This large species is characterized by several, simultaneous, sublaxly flowered racemes that are shorter, or nearly as long, as an elliptical, petiolate leaf. The dorsal sepal is 5-veined, or seven-veined if a pair of incomplete attempts to make a vein are counted. The apex of the lip is shallowly concave and broadly rounded. while a smooth, semiorbicular callus occupies the dorsum." Luer & Escobar 2017

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Harvard Pap. Bot. 22: 46 Luer & R Escobar 2017 drawing fide

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