Trichosalpinx caudata Luer & R.Escobar 1997 SUBGENUS Trichosalpinx
Photo by © Byron Rinke
TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Webpage
LATE 
Common Name The Tailed Trichosalpinx
Flower Size .1" [2.5 mm]
Found in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia at elevations around 500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 8 minutely but coarsely, ciliate lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, more or less suffused with purple beneath, broadly elliptical-ovate, subacute to obtuse, abruptly contracted below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a filiform peduncle .12 to .2" [3 to 5 mm] long, arising from behind the leaf from near the apex of the ramicaul, congested, secund, .18" to .35" [4 to 7 mm] long, simultaneously few flowered inflorescence.
"Similar to T orbicularis but recognized by the long-caudate, acuminate lateral sepals which are much longer and become long, thick, semiterete tails that diverge toward the apices. The more or less ovate, concave lateral sepals of T orbicularis are more or less thickened above the middle throughout its range but far from the extreme variation seen in this taxon. The fringed petals, narrowly acute lip and fimbriate column of the 2 taxa are similar." Luer 1997
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 4 COS 1992 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XV Systematics of Trichosalpinx Luer 1997 drawing fide; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2006 drawing/photo fide; Lankesteriana 12[3]: 281 Karremans and Bogarin 2014 photo/drawing fide;
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