Stelis purpurascens A.Rich. & Galeotti 1845 SECTION Stelis
Photo by © Sune Holt
Drawing by © Carl Luer
LATE
Common Name or Meaning The Shimmering Purple Stelis
Flower Size 1/4" [8mm]
This photo determination is correct.
Found in Veracruz, Orizaba, Oaxaca and Chiapas states of Mexico, Belize, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, Quiche, Quetzaltanango and Santa Rosa departments of Guatemala, El Salvador, Comayagua and Morazon departments of Honduras, Jinotega, Matagalpa and Nuevo Segovia departments of Nicaragua, Alajuela, Heridia and San Jose provinces of Costa Rica, Chiriqui, Panama and Veraguas provinces of Panama, Venezuela, Esmeraldas province of Ecuador and Peru at elevations of 1000 to 1500 meters as a small to just medium sized, warm, growing, ascending-caespitose epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 close sheaths and carrying a single apical, erect, oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, rounded and tridentate apically leaf that blooms in the late spring through fall on an erect, arising through a narrow spathe from an annulus below the apex of the ramicaul, distichous, peduncle 2.8 to 4" [7 to 10 cm] long, provided with 2 small, close, acuminate bracts, racemose, rachis to 8 to 11.2" [20 to 28 cm] long mostly simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with acute, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying purple to green colord flowers.
"Vegetatively plants vary from small to large and robust with a well developed ramicaul. The inflorescence are elongate, but sometimes not surpassing the leaves. Numerous small flowers are sensitve to touch and are produced simultaneously ina congested, distichous raceme. The color varies through all shades of purple to green. The sepals are broadly ovate, obtuse and 5 veined. The petals are cuneate and three veined with thickened, flattened margins. The type "A" lip is concave aneriorly and obtuse with the margin thickened. A glenion descends from the bar that forms a flat dorsum beneath the column." Luer 2009
Synonyms Stelis alfaroi Ames & C.Schweinf. 1925; Stelis bourgeaui Schltr. 1911; Stelis carioi Schltr.1918; Stelis curvata Schltr. 1912; Stelis fulva Schltr. 1918; Stelis maxonii Schltr. 1918; Stelis purpusii Schltr. 1918; Stelis sotoana Solano 1993; Stelis thermatica Luer & Dodson 2007
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 3, 3: 18 A Rich. & Galeotti 1845
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 9: 284 Schlechter 1911 as S bourgeau;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 358 Schlechter 1912 as S curvata;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 202 Schlechter 1918 as S carioi;
Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37(2): 388 Schlechter 1918 as S fulva;
Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36(2): 391 Schlechter 1918 as S purpusii;
Schedul. Orchid. 8: 14 Ames & Schweinfurth 1925 as S alfaroi;
The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946 as S maxonii;
Orchids of Guatemala and Belize, Ames and Correl 1985 drawing fide;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965;
Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Schweinfurth 1970;
ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 13(1- 2):23 Solano and Soto Arenas DICIEMBRE 1993 as S chiapensis drawing/photo fide;
ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 13(1- 2):41 Solano and Soto Arenas DICIEMBRE 1993 as S fulva drawing/photo fide;
ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 13(1- 2):84 Solano and Soto Arenas . DICIEMBRE 1993 drawing/photo fide;
ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 13(1- 2):97 Solano and Soto Arenas DICIEMBRE 1993 as S sotoana drawing/photo fide;
A Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993;
Las Orquideas de El Salvador Hamer Vol 2 1974;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1282 Hamer 1985 as S maxonii drawing good;
Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1289 Hamer 1985 drawing good;
Harvard Pap. Bot. 5 #2: Carnevali etal. 2001;
Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003;
The Orchids of Mexico Hagsater 2006;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Luer 2007 as S thermatica
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX A Third Century of Stelis of Ecuador Systematics of Apoda-Prorepentia Luer 2007 as S thermatica drawing fide;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz, A Compendium Duque 2008 as S maxonii drawing good;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz, A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz, A Compendium Duque 2008 as S sotoana drawing good;
Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Lepanthes of Jamaica Stelis of Ecuador Part IV Luer 2009 ;
Guia de Orquideas de Chiapas Carlos Rommel Beutelspacher Baigts 2013 photo fide;
Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as S chiapensis;
Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as S fulva;
Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as S purpurascens;
Harvard Pap. Bot. 23: 165 Luer & Escobar 2018 drawing fide;
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