Trichosalpinx chamaelepanthes (Rchb. f.) Luer 1983 SUBGENUS Tubella
Photo by © Wiel Driessen and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website.
Another Flower in situ Colombia
Plant and Flowers in situ, Vulcan de Purace Colombia 6/07
Photos by © Jay Pfahl.
Photo by Rogier van Vugt © and his Orchid webpage
to 
Common Name or Meaning The Creeping Lepanthes-Like Trichosalpinx
Flower Size 1/5" [5 mm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as a miniature sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte at elevations of 750 to 3500 meters on scrubby vegatation in forests with erect, ascending or pendant ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 8, long ciliate, lepanthiform sheaths and which develop new ramicauls from the apex of the last and carry a single, apical, erect, thickly coriaceous, broadly elliptical to suborbicular, obtuse leaf that is contracted below into a petiole and blooms on a solitary or losse, 2 to 3 successive flowered, racemose, 1/4 to 3/5" [7 to 15 mm] long inflorescence arising from near the apex of the ramicaul.
This species has variable color possibilities and although a shade of purple is the most common, pure yellow forms exist.
"Distinguished by its disheveled clumps of branching ramicauls each segement bearng a small rounded leaf, long prolific chains are produced in shade habitats. Often floriferous, the plants may be covered by numerous bright purple to yellow flowers that are produced in short racemes. The sepals are variously echinate on the ribs and margins. The apices are acute to acuminate into tails of varying lengths. The petals are either acute or broadly obtuse. The lip is trilobed with the margins minutely to microscopically erose. Small, obtuse lobes are erect on the basal fourth. The disc is shallowly concave centrally. It is the only species of Trichosalpinx with papillose ovaries." Luer 1997
Synonyms Gravendeelia chamaelepanthes (Rchb.f.) Bogarín & Karremans 2018; Humboldtia chamaelepanthes (Rchb. f.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia chamaelepanthes (Rchb. f.) Kuntze 1891; Lepanthes corazonis Schltr. 1915; *Pleurothallis chamaelepanthes Rchb. f. 1859; Pleurothallis microcharis Schltr. 1921; Pleurothallis microcharis var. minor Schltr. 1936; Trichosalpinx microcharis (Schltr.) Luer 1921; Tubella chamaelepanthes (Rchb.f.) Archila 2000
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1855 as Pleurothallis chamaelepanthes; Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten III Ecuador Schlechter 1921 as Pleurothallis microcharis; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XV Systematics of Trichosalpinx Luer 1997 drawing fide to the first photo only; Native Colombian ORchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 photo fide; Orchid Species Of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #1 2016 photo fide; Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels Vol 1 Karremans & Viera 2020 as Gravendeelia chamaelepanthes photo fide; Orquideas de Farallones de Cali Galindo-Tarazona, Haelterman, Zuluaga Trochez and Sebastian Moreno 2020 as Gravendeelia chamaelepanthes photo fide
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