Stelis major Rchb.f. 1854 < SECTION Stelis
Photo by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website
Drawing by Oscar Duque
Common Name The Large Stelis
Flower Size .3" [7.5 mm]
Found in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador in montane forests at elevations of 1200 to 2600 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool to cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular, lightly expanded apically sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, narrwoly elliptic, gradually narrowing into the conduplicate, petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect to suberect, 4.5" [11.25 cm] long, many flowered, racemose inflorescence with infundibular, acuminate just shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying deep green brown flowers.
" Compared to S grandiflora but differs in the larger flowrs and a different lip and petals." O Duque 2008
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Bonplandia (Hannover) 2: 23 Rchb.f 1854;
Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 4 Dunsterville & Garay 1966 drawing fide;
Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 2 Foldats 1970 drawing fide;
Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide;
Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 3 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide;
Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 5 Dodson 2004 photo fide;
Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good;
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