Pleurothallis leucantha Schltr. 1912 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciclatae Lindl. 1859
Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved.
Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
Photo by © Weyman Bussey
Photo by © Karl Senghas and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
AND AGAIN
Common Name The White Flowered Pleurothallis
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in Guatemala at elevations of 950 to 1350 meters as a mini-miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with slender, erect to suberect ramicauls with a close, tubular sheath on the lower half and another at the base and carrying a single, apical, suberect to horizontal, coriaceous, narrowly elliptical-ovate, acute, shallowly cordate below into the the sessile base leaf that blooms in the spring and again in the fall on a fascile of successively single, few flowered inflorescence arising and concealed by a spathe.
This species can be confused with P correllii and P sanchoi so please check all three to see the differences
CAUTION I am fairly certain that Andy's photo although submited as P matudana is actually P leucantha. The Drawing above is absolutely correct but the photo by Karl Senghas although close, differs in color, leaf size and shape as well as the deep concavity and wide rim to the lip and it was collected in Costa Rica not Guatemala so please use that photo with great caution. Weyman's photo most likely is correct but because it is not in focus I cannot be positive.
Synonyms Acronia leucantha (Schltr.) Luer 2005; Zosterophyllanthos leucanthus (Schltr.) Szlach. & Marg. 2001
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Guatemala and Belize Ames & Correll 1952; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol III Luer 1986; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXVII Luer 2005 as Acronia leucantha drawing fide; Algunas Orquideas De Mexico Suarez 2012 photo fide; Diversity of Pleurothallidinae in Guatemala: An Endangered Orchid Subtribe with High Economic and Horticultural Potentials Edgar Mo Mo, Cetzal, Basu and Vega 2017 photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as Zosterphyllanthos leucantus;
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