Pleurothallis linguifera Lindl. 1859 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Lindl 1859 Photo courtesy of Lisa Thoerle

Another Flower? Photo courtesy of David Alford

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Common Name The Tongue-Like Lip Pleurothallis

Flower Size .4" [1cm]

Found from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela as a miniature sized, cold to cool growing epiphyte with a single semi-cordate leaf occuring at elevations of 1500 to 3400 meters in humid montane forests and cloud forest with erect, slender to stout ramicauls enveloped basally by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and another below the middle and carrying a single, apical, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, cordate-ovate, acute, basally sessile and deeply cordate leaf that blooms in the spring, summer and fall on a single flowered inflorescence arising through a reclining spathe and with the flower held close to the leaf base and occuring in the winter.

This species is similar to P adonis but differs in the single flower, the dorsal sepal with 5 to 7 veins and the lip with less revolute margins.

P linguifera is similar to P adonis, P deflexa, P siphoglossa, P millei, P grandiflora and P sarcochila in the large sized flowers.

Synonyms Acronia linguifera (Lindl.) Luer 2005; Humboldtia linguifera (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Humboltia linguifera (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Pleurothallis boliviana Schltr. 1912; Pleurothallis buchtienii Schltr. 1922Pleurothallis juninensis var. subaequisepala C. Schweinf. 1953; Pleurothallis sigsigensis Schltr. 1921; Zosterophyllanthos linguifera ( Lindl. ) Szlach. & Margonska 2001

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #9 1967; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 2 1970 drawing fide; Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Schweinfurth 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 6 1986 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Systematics of Pleurothallis Vol 3 Luer 1986; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide; Orchids of Bolivia Vasquez & Ibisch Vol 1 2000 drawing ok; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 4 Dodson 2003; Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVII Systematics of Dryadella and Acronia Section Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae Luer 2005 drawing as Acronia linguifera drawing fide; Orquideas del Valle de Aburra Medellin Colombia Orqidelogia 2014 photo fide

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