Stenoptera ecuadorana Dodson & C.Vargas 1998
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
TYPE Drawing by © Calaway Dodson and The Epidendra Website
LATE 
EARLY
Common Name The Ecuadorian Stenoptera
Flower Size .08" [2 mm]
Found in Cañar and Loja provinces of Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations around 1950 to 2300 meters as a large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with rosulate, imbricating at the base, narrowly elliptical, acute, narrowing below into a long sheathed base leaves that blooms in the late fall and early winter on an erect, terminal, peduncle 12 to 24" [30 to 60 cm] long, provied with 6 or so bracts, lowermost elongate-tubulaar, triangular, basally clasping but free above, rachis 3.2 to 10" [8 to 25 cm] long, spicate, cylindrical densely many flowered inflorescence with several, amplexicaul, ovate, membraneous, acuminate, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying small white flowers with externally finely pubescent.
"Similar to Stenoptera peruviana but is distinguished by the much dense inflorescence, smaller flowers with a proportionally narrower lip and the leaves in a rosette-like form at the base of the plant. The leaves of S peruviana are scattered along the stem below the inflorescence. The rosette-like leaf arrangment is uncommon in Stenoptera." Dodson 1998
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
*Orquideologia Vol 21 #1 pg 51 1998 drawing fide;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 drawing/photo fide
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