Lepanthes
(pronounced: leh-PAN-theez)
Classification
Epidendreae subtribe Pleurothallidinae
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Overview
Miniature caespitose or sometimes trailing-pendent epiphytes. Ramicauls usually erect, concealed by characteristic funnel-shaped sheaths with ciliate margins (“lepanthiform”). Leaves one per ramicaul, infrequently patterned. Inflorescences terminal scapose racemes, successively one to few-flowered, often fractiflex, often borne under the back of the leaf, the peduncle usually filiform. Flowers intricate, small to minute, frequently of saturated color, flat to deeply cupped. Sepals variously fused, the petals usually transverse, frequently lobed. Lip three-lobed, the lateral lobes usually much larger, erect, embracing the column, the midlobe reduced to a variously ornamented appendage. Column straight, apically club-shaped; pollinia 2, on a common minute viscidium.
Distribution
A genus of 800 species found from Mexico to Bolivia and the West Indies.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow Lepanthes in small pots of fine seedling grade epiphyte mixture or on slabs with a small pad of moisture retaining material at the roots. Native primarily to cloud forests, most species of Lepanthes should be grown under cool-intermediate temperatures, medium light levels, with constant moisture at the roots, and with high relative humidity.
Literature
Ackerman, J. D., R. L. Tremblay and W. Mark Whitten 2001. Notes on the Caribbean orchid flora, III. New species of Basiphyllaea and Lepanthes. Lindleyana 16(1):13-16. Behar, M. 1999. Die Gattung Lepanthes Sw. Die Orchidee 50(4):37-42. Catling, P. M. 1990. Lepanthes yuvilensis, a new species from Oaxaca, Mexico. Orquidea(Mex.) 12:23-27. Catling, P. M. 1990. Typification and taxonomic characters of some of Schlechter’s Guatemalan species of Lepanthes. Orquidea(Mex.) 12:28-40. Catling, P. M. and V. R. Catling 1988. Two new species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) from Mexico. Canad. J. Bot. 66(11):2130-2133. Catling, P. M. and G. A. Salazar 1994. Taxonomic notes on Lepanthes disticha (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) and its allies in Mexico and northern Central America. Acta Bot. Mex. 28:41-55. Dietrich, H. 1988. Orchidaceae cubanae novae, 6. Lepanthes silvae H. Dietrich. Wiss. Z. Jena, Math.-Nat. Wiss. Reihe 37:157-159. Garay, L. A. 1952. Two new orchids, subtribe Pleurothallidinae. Orchid J. 1(5-6):218-219. Hespenheide, H. A. 1968. A revision of the West Indian species of Lepanthes, I. Jamaica. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia 120:1-23. Hespenheide, H. A. 1969. A new Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) from Jamaica. Not. Natur. 426:1-4. Hespenheide, H. A. 1970. A revision of the West Indian species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae), II. Lesser Antilles. Bot. Nat. 429:1-6. Hespenheide, H. A. 1973. New Lepanthes from Jamaica and Mexico. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 42(10):870-874. Hespenheide, H. A. 1973. A revision of the West Indian species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae), III. Cuba. Brittonia 25(3):257-283. Hespenheide, H. A. and D. D. Dod 1989. El genero Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) de la Espanola, I. Moscosoa 5:250-264. Hespenheide, H. A. and D. D. Dod 1990. El genero Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) de la Espanola, II. Moscosoa 6:167-195. Luer, C. A. 1983. New species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae). Phytologia 54(5):325-378. Luer, C. A. 1986. A review of some of the species of Lepanthes from Venezuela (Orchidaceae). Phytologia 59(7):443-450. Luer, C. A. 1987. New Lepanthes species from Ecuador, 3. Lindleyana 2(1):29-45. Luer, C. A. 1987. New Lepanthes species from Ecuador, 4. Lindleyana 2(2):95-111. Luer, C. A. 1987. New Lepanthes species from Ecuador, 5. Lindleyana 2(3):125-155. Luer, C. A. 1987. A resolution to the problem of Lepanthes turialvae in Costa Rica and Panama. Lindleyana 2(4):180-184. Luer, C. A. 1987. Lepanthes lucifer: a newly discovered relative of Lepanthes felis. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 56:1016-1018. Luer, C. A. 1987. New Lepanthes species from Costa Rica and Panama. Lindleyana 2(4):185-217. Luer, C. A. 1987. Vier neue Arten in subtribus Pleurothallidinae: Lepanthes hubeinii, seegeri, rauhii und Platystele rauhii. Die Orchidee 38:58-62. Luer, C. A. 1990. New species of Lepanthes from Guatemala. Lindleyana 5:182-198. Luer, C. A. 1991. New species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae). Lindleyana 6(2):64-83. Luer, C. A. 1995. New species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) from Costa Rica. Lindleyana 10(3):133-173. Luer, C. A. 1996. Miscellaneous new Species of Lepanthes and Pleurothallis from Colombia. Orquideologia 20(2):234-233. Luer, C. A. 1996. Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIV. Systematics of Draconanthes, Lepanthes subgenus Marsipanthes and subgenus Lepanthes of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. 61:1-255. Luer, C. A. 1997. New species of Lepanthes and Pleurothallis (Orchidaceae) from Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Lindleyana 12(1):34-55. Luer, C. A. 1998. Three new species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) from Bolivia. Rev. Soc. Boliviana Bot. 2(1):19-25. Luer, C. A. and R. L. Dressler 1986. Nuevas especies de Lepanthes de Panama. Orquideologia 16:3-26. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1983. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 1. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 52(12):1264-1271. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 2. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(1):26-33. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 3. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(2):158-166. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 4. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(3):258-265. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 5. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(4):368-375. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 6. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(5):476-484. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 7. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(6):604-611. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 8. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(7):716-723. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 9. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(8):820-827. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 10. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(9):918-926. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. New Lepanthes species from Colombia, 11. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(10):1044-1051. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1984. Especies del genero Lepanthes en Colombia, decenas 1. Orquideologia 16:129-153. Luer, C. A. and R. Escobar R. 1988. Especies del genero Lepanthes en Colombia, decenas 2-3. Orquideologia 17:145-231. Luer, C. A. and J. Hermans 1997. Three new species of Lepanthes from Venezuela. Orchid Rev. 105(1216):206-211. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1984. New Lepanthes species from Ecuador 1. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 53(11):1156-1163. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1986. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: Lepanthes asoma, erepsis, odobenella, pecunialis. Die Orchidee 27:213-222. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1987. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. xenos, mephistopheles, ejecta, deformis. Die Orchidee 28:32-40. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1987. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. binaria, callisto, caloura, condorensis. Die Orchidee 38:283-292. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1988. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. oxypetala und gargoyla. Die Orchidee 39:57-61. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1988. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. hymenoptera und decurva. Die Orchidee 39:101-105. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1990. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. reventador und profusa. Die Orchidee 41(1):8-12. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1990. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. llanganatensis, L. carinata (teil 2). Die Orchidee 41:161-165. Luer, C. A. and A. C. Hirtz 1991. Neue Arten der Gattung Lepanthes aus Ecuador: L. clandestina, floresii, metaxy, jimburae (teil 6). Die Orchidee 42(4):181-190. Salazar, G. A. and M. A. Soto Arenas 1988. Lepanthes hagsateri: una nueva especie de Guerrero, Mexico. Orquidea(Mex.) 11:18-22. Schultes, R. E. 1958. The name Lepanthes turialvae: a source of confusion. Rhodora 60:97-100. Schultes, R. E. and G. W. Dillon 1959. Synopsis of the genus Lepanthes in Mexico. Rhodora 61:1-20. Schuster, R. 1970. Lepanthes dorsalis Lindl., endemisch auf Kuba. Die Orchidee 21(6):349-351. Schuiteman, A. and A. de Wilde 1996. Lepanthes telipogoniflora, a new, extraordinary species from Colombia. Orquideologia 20(1):27-32. Smith, L. B. and S. K. Harris 1934. Three new Andean species of Lepanthes. Bot. Mus. Leafl. 2(3):33-37. Stimson, W. R. 1969. A revision of the Puerto Rican species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae). Brittonia 21(4):332-345. Tremblay, R. L. 2000. Plant longevity in four species of Lepanthes (Pleurothallidinae. Orchidaceae). Lindleyana 15(4):257-266. Tremblay, R. L. and J. A. Salguero-Faría 2001. The unkindest cut: the fate of Lepanthes woodburyana, a small neotropical orchid. Lindleyana 16(1):38-42.
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