Stelis phil-jesupii Luer 2002 SECTION Stelis

TYPE drawing by Carl Luer

Common Name Phil Jesup's Stelis [American Co-collector of the type current]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Zamora-Chinchipe province of Ecuador at elevations around 1500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect, slender ramicauls enveloped by a loose tubular sheath and another below and carrying a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, elliptical, subacute to obtuse, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, peduncle .8" [2 cm] long, from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, rachis .4 to 1.12" [2.8 cm] long, subcongested, distant, successively 1 to few, few flowered inflorescence carrying purple-black flowers with glabrous externally, glandular-cellular within sepals, thickly triangular, smooth petals and a thick, subquadrate lip.

"The species is distinguished by the short habit with a loose, successively flowered raceme that eventually surpasses the elliptical leaves in length. The sepals are convex with revolute margins. The dorsal seepalis orbicular and more deeply connate to the half as large laterals than they are to themselves. The petals are semi-lunate and the lip is shortly oblong with a callus on the dorsum." Luer 2002

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

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

Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 drawing fide

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