Lepanthes nautilus Luer & R.Escobar 1984 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Elongatae 1993

Flower Closeup

Photos by © Jay Pfahl

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer

Full Shade Cool Spring

Common Name or Meaning The Nautilus-Shaped Lepanthes

Flower Size 1.2" tall .4" wide [3 cm tall x 1 cm wide]

Found in Santander department of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations around 2550 meters as a miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect ramicauls enveloped by 5 to 7 close, minutely ciliate lepanthiform sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, elliptic, subacute, gradually narrowing below into the cuneate petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on a filiform.drooping, loose, fractiflex, 4" [10 cm] long including the 1.4 to 1.6" [3.5 to 4 cm] long peduncle, successively few flowered inflorescence with often 2 flowers open at any one time.

Similar to L agatarum, L chelonion, L calocodon, L cloesii and L cymbium.

148b

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *AOS Bulletin Vol 53 #10 1984 drawing/photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 1991 photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 64 No 10 1995 photo good; Orchid Digest Vol 62 #2 1998 photo fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XXXII Luer 2012 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 3 Ortiz & Uribe 2019 drawing/photo fide;

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