Stelis hutchisonii D.E.Benn. & Christenson 2001SECTION Stelis

TYPE Drawing by © Eric Christenson

Common Name Hutchison's Stelis [American Orchid Enthusiast and collector of species]

Flower Size .1" [2.5 mm]

Found in Peru in wet montane forests at elevations around 2000 meters as a miniature sized, cool to cold growing, caespitose terrestrial with erect ramicauls enveloped by 3 graduated, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly oblong, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, terete, fractiflex, secund, to 2.4" [6 cm] long including the .8" [2 cm] long peduncle, mostly simultaneously several to many flowered inflorescence arising through a spathe from the apex of the ramicaul and has short, clasping, ovate-lanceolate, acute, much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying secund flowers with pale yellow green sepals with green bristles and a lip that is dark purple basally and red-purple apically.

Distingusihed by the slender leaves, the hairy flowers, the very asymetrical, 7 veined petals and the very complex structure of the lip.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 767 Bennett & Christenson 2001 Drawing fide;

Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing fide;

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