Stelis umbelliformis Hespenh. & Dressler 1971 SECTION Stelis Photo by © Karl Senghas

Drawing Drawing by © Oscar Duque

Common Name The Umbel Shaped Stelis [refers to the umbel shaped inflorescence]

Flower Size

Found in Colon province of Panama and Nariño department of Colombia at lower elevations as a mini-miniature sized, hot to warm growing, repent epiphyte with erect, stout ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3 tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, broadly elliptical-oblong, obtuse and tridenticulate, abruptly narrowing below into the short-petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect, .64 to 1.52" [1.6 to 3.8 cm] long, provided with a deltoid upper bract and a tubular-infundibular lower one the short umbellate raceme at the apex of the inflorescence, successively 2 to 4, several flowered inflorescence with imbricate, acute, shorter tha the ovary floral bracts and carring green suffused with purple to red brown flowers.

"Characterized by the small rhizomatose habit, and distinguished by its umbellate inflorescence which is unique in the genus.

Synonyms Apatostelis umbelliformis (Hespenh. & Dressler) Garay 1979; Stelis umbelliformis subsp. brevipedunculata Carnevali & I.Ramírez 1993

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Orquideología 6(1): 21-23 Hespenh & Dressler 1971 drawing/photo fide;

Bot. Mus. Leafl. 27(7-9): 199. Garay 1979 as Apatostelis umbelliformis;

Novon 3: 121 Carnevali & I.Ramírez 1993 as S umbelliformis var brevipedunculata;

Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 photo fide;

Orchidaceae Stelis Sw, A Compendium Duque 2008 drawing good;

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