Stelis opercularis Luer 1981 SUBGENUS Stelis Duque 2008 Drawing by Carl Luer and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Plant and Inflorescence Photo by Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website

Common Name The Covered Stelis

Flower Size .1 to .2" [3 to 5.5 mm]

Found in Colombia and southeastern Ecuador in rainforests at elevations around 700 to 1600 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 fibrous, tubular sheaths and carrying asingle, apical, erect, coriaceous, oblong-obovate, obtuse, tridenticulate, narrowing below into the twisted, petillate base leaf that blooms in the summer on 1 to 3, erect to arching, racemose, distichous, several flowered inflorescencearising through a small nodular spathe with infundibular, acute, red floral bracts.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI; Orchidaceae Stelis Swartz, A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXX Luer 2009 drawing fide;

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