Stelis stenophylla Rchb.f. 1855 SECTION Stelis
Drawing by © Dunsterville & Garay
Common Name The Thin Leaf Stelis
Flower Size .2" [5mm]
Found in northwestern Venezuela and Norte de Santander department of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations around 2400 to 2600 meters as a mini-miniture to miniature sized, cold growing, shortly repent epiphyte with very short rhizome giving rise to an erect, ramicaul enveloped by 2 to 3, loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, linear to narrowly ovate, subacute, gradually narrowing below into the sub-petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect to slightly flexuous, arising through a small spathe at the base of the leaf, to 5.2" [13 cm] long including the peduncle, distichous to subsecund, mostly simultaneously several to many flowered inflorescence with tubular below expanded above, revolute sided, shorter than the pedicellate ovary floral bracts and carrying yellowish green to creamy with yellow streaks, nutant flowers.
"This little, caespitose species is characterized by a loose
raceme about as long as nearly linear leaves; glabrous,
obtuse, concave and antrorse sepals; and thin, three-veined
petals. The most distinctive lip is shallow and concave
below the bar between lateral lobes and the obtuse apex.
The author explicitly excludes Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 as S tachiensis not drawing fide;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as S tachirensis not drawing fide;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Orchidaceae Stelis Sw A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing fide;
Harvard Pap. Bot. 23: 43 Luer & Escobar 2018 Drawing fide
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