Stelis guianensis Rolfe 1901
SECTION Stelis
Photo by Patricia Harding
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and Selbyana 32(1,2): 54 Luer & Vasquez 2018
Common Name The Guiana Stelis
Flower Size .1" [3 mm]
This ID is fairly certain.
Found in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and the Guyanas in rain or cloud forests at elevations around 850 to 3000 meters as a mini-miniature sized, hot to cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with clustered, erect, racmiauls enveloped basally by 2, scarious, carinate-nerved, obtusely apiculate sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly oblanceolate, subacute, minutely tridenticulate, longly attenuate and petiolate below into the base leaf that blooms in the spring and summer on an erect, arising through a small acute to obtuse spathe, peduncle .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, rachis
.8 to 2.4" [2 to 6 cm] long, erect, subflexuous, distichous, distantly and simultaneously few flowered inflorescence with acute, shorter than the ovcary floral bracts.
"This species is widely distributed from the mountains of Guyana through Venezuela into eastern Ecuador, where it is frequent, and into Bolivia, where it is infrequently found. It is characterized by a small, caespitose habit and a distantly few-flowered raceme longer than the leaf. The sepals are ovate and variously pubescent and ciliate, especially at the apices. The petals are three-veined. The lip is with a tiny, sharp apiculum in the center of the apical margin, resembles a one of a minute Stelis argentata Lindl.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
*Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 6: 59 Rolfe 1901;
Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 drawing good; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 drawing ok; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing good; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing good; Orquideologia Vol 22 #3 2003 drawing/photo fide; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 photo fide; Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo ok; Selbyana 32(1,2): 54 Luer & Vasquez 2018 Selbyana 32(1,2): 141 Luer & Vasquez 2018 Drawing fide
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