RHH's photos with the keyword: stelis

This tiny little Stelis is from Ecuador. I received it as an unidentified Stelis from that country. Someone has suggested that it is Stelis hirtella and and some of the pictures I've seen of that species match, though others do not. The plant forms a mat of leaves a few centimeters high, has flower spikes that are 5-6 cm in length and that have 4-6 flowers 6 mm in diameter. I am posting this on the run since we are leaving in a few minutes to return home from eastern Washington. I realize I'm behind with commenting but will catch everyone up when we are home again. Thanks for all your support, kind comments, faves and the beautiful photos you all post.

The genus Stelis has hundreds of species, but many species have very tiny and insignificant green flowers. This species is an exception. These flowers though not large (15. cm) are strikingly colored with the flowers beautifully set off by the white hairs for which the species is named. The flowers are unusual, too in that the petals, lip and reproductive "column" are reduced to tiny structures at the center of the flower, something characteristic of many of most of the species in the genus. This species is from Ecuador.

Also known as Pleurothallis cypripedioides or Stelis cypripedioides, this charming little orchid hails from Ecuador and Peru. The name "cypripedioides" refers to the flowers' fancied resemblance to the flowers of a Lady's Slipper, a Cypripedium. The flowers are lined with hairs which can be seen more clearly in the photo below. What purpose these hairs serve I do not know but I assume they have something to do with polloination.

The genus, Stelis, is related to Pleurothallis and Masdevallia and is a very difficult genus because there are so many species, because the flowers are often very tiny and because the flower are very similar on many of them. This is a tiny plant about a 1-2cm tall with flowers that are less than .5cm in size. I received it unidentified and have not been able to find an ID for it. It is from Ecuador, I believe.

orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2010/12/stelis-purpurasce... This orchid ranges from Mexico through Central America into South America. It is quite large and robust for a Stelis and the small size of the flowers (less than 1 cm) is made up for by the large number of flowers, up to 75 per spike.

This miniature orchid from Ecuador is found at high elevations and requires cool temperatures in cultivation. Its name, "ciliolata," refers to the white "hairs" which fringe the sepals. The plant is small, about 12 cm, with flower spikes that bloom over a very long period of time and reach a length of 20 cm. The flowers themselves are nearly 1.5 cm in size. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2011/10/stelis-ciliolata....

Just had to post one more picture of these unique flowers. They are small - each one is only 1.5 cm, but they have up to six flowers open at a time and bloom successively on rather long spikes. This orchid species is from Ecuador. Published in the December, 2011, issue of Orkideer, the magazine of the Swedish Orchid Society in an article on orchid photography. The editor of the magazine, Karma Forester, has a site on Flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/myorchids/ and a blog, www.orchidkarma.com . This was published again in on the front cover of the December 2012 issue of Orchids, the magazine of the American Orchid Society as the feature photo for an article showing some of the AOS's orchid photos of the week. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2011/10/stelis-ciliolata....

In Explore December 21, 2011, #467. This is a small orchid species from Ecuador. The plant is less than 5 cm tall and the tiny flowers are about 5 mm in size. I am not sure, however, that this is correctly identified, since other pictures of this species that I have seen have a maroon center, and most of the Stelis species are notoriously difficult to identify. "Hirtella" means "bristly" and that certainly fits, but would fit many other species as well. The three larger triangular and nearly transparent segments of the flower are the sepals. The petals are the two largest parts at the center of the flower that enfold the other parts. The lip is the "u" shaped piece at the top, between the two petals and the column (reproductive organ) is below the lip. All these parts are the same dull greenish-tan color.

Effusiella or Pleurothallis cypripediodes is named for the fancied resemblance of its flowers to those of the Lady's Slipper. It is a small plant, two to three inches tall with flowers that are less than half an inch in size. The flowers bloom successively on thin pendant spikes that produce flowers over a very long period of time. It is from Ecuador and Peru. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2012/08/effusiella-cyprip...

Stelis glomerosa (the name "glomerosa" refers to the ball-shaped flowers) is from Ecuador. It is a small plant, 2-4 inches, that tends to ramble all over and produces 4 inch spikes of unusual flowers. orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2012/06/stelis-glomerosa-...

There are so many species of Stelis and because many of them look alike they can be very difficult to identify. This species is small, less than an inch tall (2cm) with 1/4 inch flowers (6mm), and three to four flowers on a spike. I am hoping that in spite of the difficulties, someone recognizes it and can identify it for me. It came from Marni Turkel and I believe is from Ecuador.