Stelis septella Luer 2004 SECTION Stelis
Drawing by Carl Luer
EARLY
Common Name The Little Hedge Stelis [refers to the hedge-like row of ramicauls]
Flower Size .24" [6 mm]
Found in Morona-Santiago province of Ecuador on rocky cliffs at elevations of 2800 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing, shortly repent epiphyte or lithophyte with ascending, stout ramicauls enveloped by a loose, tubular sheath and another below and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, subacute to acute, cuneate below into the subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the early summer on an erect, subcongested, distichous, slightly flexuous, 2 to 4" [5 to 10 cm] long including the 1.2 to 2" [3 to 5 cm] long peduncle, simultaneously few, several flowered inflorescence arising from the apex of the ramicaul with oblique, tubular, acute, as long or longer than the floral bracts and carrying expanded, glabrous flowers with externally purple , greenish purple within sepals and a yellow central apparatus.
"Distinguished by a thick, shortly repent rhizome that bears ascending ramicauls in a close row. The elliptical leaves are surpassed by a slightly flexuous, lengthening raceme of small, dark purplish green flowers with broad, obtuse sepals; thickened, semilunate petals witha thickened margin and a transverse, obtuse lip with a rounded callus on the dorsum flanked by a pair low mammilate calli on the margin of the bar." Luer 2004
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
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