Stelis oxypetala Schltr. 1918SECTION Stelis
Photos by © The Species Identification Task Force Website
Drawing by © Miguel Soto
LATE 
Common Name The Pointed Petal Stelis
Flower Size
Found in Chiapas state of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras at lower elevations as a miniature to small sized, hot to warm growing, shortly repent epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, linear-oblanceolate to linear-elliptic, coriaceous, subobtuse to acute, tridenticulate, attenuate basally into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late spring summer and fall on an erect to arched, arising through an apiculate spathe, disitichous, 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long including the .8 to 1.2" [2 to 3 cm] long peduncle, mostly simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with cucullate, shortly apiculate, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying green, yellow or yellow white flowers.
"S. oxypetala occurs at low elevations and is similar to and often sympatric with S rubens but can be distinguished by a longer peduncle, 3 to 4 tubular bracts, larger flowers .12 to .16" [3 to 4 mm], elliptic, acute sepals, conspicuously apiculate, thin petals, a longitudinally sulcate lip and lastly larger plants." Solano 1993
Synonyms Apatostelis oxypetala (Schltr.) Garay 1979; Stelis rubens var. oxypetala (Schltr.) Ames 1934
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Orchids of Guatemala Ames Correll 1952 as S rubens var oxypetala;
* Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 203 Schlechter 1918;
Bot. Mus. Leafl. 2: 23 Ames 1934 as S rubens ver oxypetala;
Bot. Mus. Leafl. 27: 190 Garay 1979 as Apatostelis oxypetala;
ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 13(1- 2) Solano and Soto Arenas . DICIEMBRE 1993 drawing/photo fide;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing fide;
Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
