Stelis kuijtii Luer & Hirtz 2002 SECTION Stelis

TYPE drawing by Carl Luer

LATE EARLY

Common Name Kuijt's Stelis [Canadian co-collector of the species current]

Flower Size .28" [7 mm]

Found in Bolivar province of Ecuador at elevations around 3100 meters as a small sized, cold growing, densely caespitose epiphyte with erect, relatively stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose tubular sheath from below the middle and 2 to 3 others at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, subacute to acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late summer and early fall on an erect, peduncle .8 to 1.2" [2 to 3 cm] long, arising through a slender spathe .6" [1.5 cm] long, rachis 4.4 to 5.2" [11 to 13 cm] long, subcongested, distichous, simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with infundibular, oblique, acute, somewhat shorter to as long as the ovary floral bract and carrying flowers with purple, microscopically pubescent within, sepals, purple proportionally large, overlapping above the column and beneath the lip, transversely semi-lunate petals and a purple thickly subquadrate lip.

"The species is distinguished by the stout ramicauls enveloped by a large, loose sheath and a large elliptical, long petiolate base leaf. The raceme has large purple bract and flowers that barely surpass the elaf in length. The lateeral sepals are connate to near the middle into a broad bifid synsepal suggesting the section Humboltdtia. The proportionally large petals have a transverse callus that overlaps above and below the column and lip. The lip is concave above the rounded apex with a tricallous dorsum." Luer 2002

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV A First Century of the Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIV A First Century of the Stelis of Ecuador Luer 2002 drawing fide;

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