Pleurothallis gargantua

Pleurothallis gargantua Luer, Lindleyana 11: 161, fig (1996).

Pleurothallis gargantua Luer; Photo by Daniel Nolte

its native range is Ecuador (Carchi).

Latin Name: 

Pleurothallis gargantua Luer

Family: 

Orchidaceae Juss.

Synonym:

Acronia gargantua (Luer) Luer

Zosterophyllanthos gargantua (Luer) Szlach. & Kulak

English Name:

The Giant Pleurothallis.

Description: 

With stout, erect ramicauls enveloped by 3 to 4 tubular sheaths and another below the middle and carrying a single, apical, spreading, coriaceous, broadly ovate, acute, basally sessile and deeply cordate leaf that blooms in the winter and spring on a short fascile of short, successive single flowered inflorescence arising through a spathe at the leaf base holding the flower close against the base of the leaf. 

Distribution:

Ecuador.

Ecological:

As a large sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial orchid on steep forests at elevations around 1500 to 2500 m.

Flowering times:

Blooms in the winter and spring.

Flower size:

2.0 x 7.0 cm.

Cultivation:

Keep plant in partial shade. Plant can be grown in cool to intermediate conditions. Pot the plant in fine bark with perlite or sphagnum moss. Water regularly and keep potting media moist.

Typus:

Collector Team:

F.L.Stevenson 92-0115-1

Type Herbaria:

holotype MO

Distribution Of Types:

Terrestrial in a steep forest between Maldonado and¹Chical, 1500 m, Carchi (Ecuador, Western South America, Southern America)

Reference: 

- theplantlist.org

- https://www.ipni.org/n/304703-2

- http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:304703-2

- http://www.orchidspecies.com/pleurgargantua.htm.

- https://orchids.fandom.com/wiki/Pleurothallis_gargantua