Stelis macilenta Luer & Hirtz 2002 SECTION Stelis

TYPE drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name The Thin Stelis [refers to the plant qualities]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Pichincha and Napo provinces of Ecuador at elevations of 850 to 2600 meters as a miniature sized, warm to cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, very slender ramicauls enveloped a tubular sheath below the middle and 2 more at the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer on an erect, peduncle 1.6 to 2" [4 to 5 cm] long, arising through a slender spathe .12" [3 mm] long, from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, rachis 3.2 to 4" [8 to 10 cm] long, strict, secund, distichous, mostly simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, half as long as the ovary floral bract and carrying light yellow flowers with similar, glabrous sepals, cucullate, cuneate, transversely obovate petals and a subquadrate lip.

"The species is related to S pusilla but distinguished by the much larger habit with very slender ramicauls and slightly longer, narrow leaves that are surpassed by slender, strict racemes of numerous minute flowers. The sepals are ovate, obtuse and usually not widely expanded. The petals are cuneate, cucullate and single veined. The lip is concave anteriorly with a small obtuse apiculum and a pair of prominent, rounded calli on the bar." Luer 2002

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

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

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

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