Pleurothallis gratiosa

 Pleurothallis gratiosa Rchb.f., Bonplandia 2: 25 (1854).

Pleurothallis gratiosa Rchb.f., Photo by Kevin Holcomb

its native range is N. Venezuela.

Latin Name: 

Pleurothallis gratiosa Rchb.f. 

Family: 

Orchidaceae Juss.

Synonym:

Ancipitia gratiosa (Rchb.f.) Luer

Humboltia gratiosa (Rchb.f.) Kuntze

English Name:

The Attractive Pleurothallis (refers to the flowers being "full of Pleasure").

Description: 

With erect ramicauls enveloped basally by 2, loose, tubular sheaths and carrying a single, apical, elliptical leaf that blooms on a thin, 5 cm long, single flowered inflorescence with the flower held above the leaf. It has slender, erect, ramicauls that are sharply ancipitous towards the middle, a bract below the middle and 2 to 3 basal sheaths carrying a single, apical, rigid, coriaceous, erect, elliptical, obtuse, cordate, sessile leaf with a rounded base that blooms at most any time of the year on a fascile of solitary successive flowers arising from a reclining spathe at the base of the leaf. The peduncle is filiform and can be ascending or suberect, with a tubular floral bract.

Distribution:

Venezuela.

Ecological:

As a miniature sized, warm growing epiphyte at elevations around 1500 to 1635 m.

Flowering times:

Bloome at most any time of the year.

Flower size:

1.0 cm

Cultivation:

This habitat means that the species is straight forward in cultivation and although we grow it in our Cool Americas section (min 12C) it would be happy warmer and does not suffer summer heat stress.

Typus:

Reference: 

- http://theplantlist.org

- https://www.ipni.org/n/652837-1

- http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:652837-1

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

- https://wsbeorchids.org/2020/pleurothallis-gratiosa-365-days-of-orchids-day-1314/