Stelis micropetala Luer & Hirtz 2007 SECTION Stelis
Drawing by © Carl Luer
Common Name The Tiny Petal Stelis
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in Morona-Santiago province of Ecuador at elevations around 600 meters as a miniature sized, hot to warm growing, densely caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender, ramicauls enveloped by a tubular sheath and 2 to 3 tubular sheaths in the lower half and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, linear-elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below into the indistinct petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on 1 to 2, arising through a spathe from an annulus from below the apex of the ramicaul, erect, congested, 4 to 5.6" [10 to 14 cm] long including the .8 to 1.2" [2 to 3 cm] long peduncle, simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with broadly tubular, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying light green flowers.
"Although somewhat larger this species is similar to S braccata in its small size bot vegetatively and florally. but S micropetals is characterized by 1 to 2 racemes of numerous, tiny flowers that exceed the narrow leaves. The sepals are obtuse and three veined. The distinctly three veined petals are smaller than the lip and the column. The lip is standard type "A". The petals os S braccata are single veined and the lip is a variation of type "B"." Luer 2007
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematcis of Apoda-Prorepentia Luer 2007 drawing fide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------