Stelis megalocephala Luer 1981 SECTION Humboldtia

Drawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Large Head Stelis [refers to the large dorsal sepal]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Morona-Santiago and Tungurahua provinces of Ecuador at elevations around 1600 to 1630 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by 2 loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, ellipitcal, subacute to obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter and summer on a suberect, arising from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, lax, flexuous, .6 to 1.4" [1.5 to 3.5 cm] long including the .2 to .8" [.5 to 2 cm] long peduncle, successively single, 2 to 7 flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying purple flowers that can have a green dorsal sepal.

" Characterized by a proportionally large flower that is produced successively in a short raceme no longer than the leaf. The dorsal sepal is large, suborbicular and erect while the smaller lateral sepals are held forward. The petals are three veined and the lip is type"A" witha dorsal callus presenting forward across the bar as the glenion." Luer 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Phytologia 49: 231 Luer 1981;

Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing fide;

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009

Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009 drawing fide

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