Stelis mnemonica Luer & Hirtz 2007 SECTION NexipousDrawing by © Carl Luer

Common Name The Remembered Stelis [refers to its similarity to others]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Morona-Santiago province of Ecuador at elevations around 1800 meters as a small sized, warm to cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose, tubular sheath near the middle and another 1 to 2 near the base and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, obtuse, narrowly cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on an erect, arising through a spathe from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, strict, densely congested, secund, to 6" [to 15 cm] long including the .8" [2 cm] long peduncle, simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with oblique, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying cream colored sepals witha broad tan brown central band, and a tan-lavender central apparatus.

"The similar, widely expanding, nearly free, elliptical-oblong sepals are reminiscent of S fabulosa and S tridactylon . The flowers are borne on a many flowered raceme as long as or longer than a narrowly elliptical leaf. The petals have a broad, flat margin and the lip is oblong and acute." Luer 2007

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Luer 2007

* Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXIX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Luer 2007 drawing fide

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------