Loefgrenianthus
| Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Epidendreae |
| Subtribe: | Laeliinae |
| Genus: |
Loefgrenianthus Hoehne |
| Species: | L. blanche-amesiae |
| Binomial name | |
|
Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae (Loefgr.) Hoehne |
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Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae is a showy orchid species, inhabitant of Serra do Mar mountains in Brazilian southeast. It is the only species of the monotypic genus Loefgrenianthus. It can be differentiated from its closest genus, Leptotes, both because of its pending vegetation with flat leaves and the flowers which have a saccate labellum. Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae is highly appreciated by orchid collectors.
Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae is a small epiphytic species which inhabits the highest areas of Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná States of Brazil, particularly in Serra da Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar chains of mountains, where it is very rare. It grows under the shadow of trees in shady, humid and well ventilated woods, between 1,000 and 2,200 meters of altitude on mountains slopes. It ordinarily grows at middle height, pending from thick stems, mostly of Podocarpus and Araucaria species, despite there are records of plants occasionally growing in thin branches too.
The culture of Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae is reportedly hard. Because of its pending habit it should be mounted on a vegetable fiber plaque or on a piece of bark and kept sheltered form straight sunlight in a cool, humid and well ventilated place.
Loefgrenianthus blanche-amesiae usually are attached to their hosts' stems by a knot of thin pinkish few branched elongated strong roots that grow mostly at the base of their stems. Adventitious roots are uncommon and possibly grow just occasionally when the stems become very long. The stems are thin, flexible and pending, formed by a simple but occasionally bifurcating elongated rhizome, and tiny pseudobulbs. The rhizome is completely covered by thin dried imbricating steaths and, after three internodes, usually gives birth to a pseudobulb always hidden by a dried narrow steath. The pseudobulbs are spaced at one-centimeter intervals and have only one apical flat, but folded at the base, elliptical lanceolated and comparatively large leaf. The leaves last for some years, and normally there are about seven pseudobulbs with leaves at the end of the stem. The older leaves at the base of the stem fall so the older segments of the plant usually are formed just by a number of bare stems and the important roots to attach the plant to the stem, occasionally showing a new growth. The inflorescences shoot from the apexes of the last one or two pseudobulbs and are apical, short and pending, bearing just one flower which faces the ground.
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Wikipedia