Brachionidium alpestre Luer & R.Vásquez 1995Photo by © J-M and The Orchid ForumWebsite

TYPE Drawing Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra Orchid Website

EARLY

Common Name or Meaning The High Elevation Brachionidium

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Bolivia at elevations of 2450 to 3100 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial with a stout, occasionally branching rhizome enveloped by 3, scurfy, tubular sheaths, mucronate apically and fimbriate along the lower margins and giving rise to stout, suberect ramicauls enveloped by 2, scurfy, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, suberect, coriaceous, denticulate above the middle, purple suffused, elliptical, acute, longitudinally 7 veined, gradually narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the early summer on a slender, erect, 1.4 to 2" [3.5 to 5 cm] long, single flowered inflorescence arising from near the apex of the ramicaul, with a loose bract near the middle and another at the base and has an inflated, acute, verrucose floral bract carrying a non-resupinate flower

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XII Luer 1995 drawing fide; Orchids of Bolivia Vol 1 Vasquez & Ibisch 2000 drawing/photo fide;

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