Stelis johnsonii Ames 1922

SECTION Stelis

Drawing by © Solano

LATE

Common Name Johnson's Stelis [American Orchid Collector in Guatemala earlier 1900's]

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Chiapas state of Mexico and Alta Verapaz department of Guatemala in tropical rainforests at elevations around 200 meters as a mini-miniature sized, hot growing, somewhat caespitose-scandent epiphyte with short, 2 noded ramicauls enveloped completely by tubular, obtuse, scarious, the superior larger sheaths and carrying a single, apical, linear-oblanceolate, subrounded, fleshy, attenuate below into the shortly petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late spring on 1 to 2, peduncle .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, arising through 1 basal, conduplicate, scarious spathaceous bract, and a short, tubular, acute, membraneous bract above, racemose, 1.6 to 3" [4 to 7.5 cm] long, rachis zig-zag, 10 to 14 flowered inflorescence with an obliquely infundibuliform, acute, membraneous, shorter than the pedicel floral bract and carrying flowers with yellow sepals blotched and dotted with reddish, petals purple, yellow at the apex, lip yellow spotted with purple.

"Allied to S parvula but distinguished by wider leaves and a different lip. In habit it is similar to S obscurata." Ames 1922

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 35: 87 Ames 1922;

Orchids of Guatemala Ames & Correll 1952 drawing fide;

Icones Orchidacearum 5-6 Plate 684 Hagsater & Solano 2002 drawing fide;

Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good;

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