Trichosalpinx alabastra (Luer & R.Escobar) Luer 1983 SUBGENUS Tubella

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

LATER

Common Name The Unopened Trichosalpinx [refers to the cleistogamous flowers]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Santander department of Colombia at elevations of 2500 to 2600 meters as a mini-miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial on roadbanks with an erect to suberect, slender, prolific ramicaul enveloped by 2 to 6, closely adpressed, ribbed lepanthiform sheaths with minutely ciliate ostia and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, elliptical, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring, later summer and fall on a subdebse, secund, 1.2 to 2.8" [3 to 7 cm] long including the .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, peduncle, simultaneously several flowered inflorescence arising from near the apex of the ramicaul.

"This cleistogamous species, ususally found growing on road embankments in the Central and Eastern Cordillera of Colombia seems never to be without flowers. Only occasionally will the sepals part. Apparently all flowers develop capsules. Superficially T alabastra appears similar to a samall plant of T robledorum in bud. It is distinguished from the later by the much smaller flowers, glandular petals and a lip that is oblong instead of subquadrate. The deeply winged column of both species are similar." Luer 1997

Synonyms Karma alabastra [Luer & R Escobar] 2023; *Pleurothallis alabastra Luer & R.Escobar 1983; Tubella alabastra (Luer & R.Escobar) Archila 2000

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orquideología 16(1): 17. 1983. as Pleurothallis alabastra Luer & Escobar Drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XV Systematics of Trichosalpinx Luer 1997 drawing fide;

LANKESTERIANA 23(2). Karremans, Moreno, Gil-Amaya, Morales, Espinosa, Mesa, Restrepo, Rincon-Gonzales, Serna, Sierra-Ariza and Vieira-Uribe 2023 as Karma alabastra;

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