Pleurothallis cardiophylax Rchb.f. 1888 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Lindl 1859 Drawing by Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the JanyRenz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Keeper of the Heart Pleurothallis [one of Reichenbach’s Cryptic Jokes?]

Flower Size .4” [1 cm]

Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru at elevations of 1450 to 2240 meters as a cool to cold growing epiphyte with stout, erect ramicauls with a close tubular sheath on the lwer third and 2 others at the base and carrying a single, apical, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, elliptical-ovate, subacute, deeply cordate below into the sessile base leaf that blooms in the spring on a within the spathe, successively single flowered inflorescence arising through a reclining spathe and has tubular floral bracts.

The three veined dorsal sepal separates this flower from P macrocardia which has 5 veins. The larger lip that fills most of the space of the synsepal separates this species from A bivalvis.

Synonyms Acronia cardiophylax (Rchb.f.) Luer 2005; Zosterophyllanthos cardiophylax (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Kulak 2006

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVII Systematics of Dryadella and Acronia Section Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 as Acronia cardiophylax drawing fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko & Bermudez 2009 photo no = P cordata subs rhopalocarpa

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