STELIS PUNCTULATA (Rchb.f.) Soto Arenas, comb. nov. BASIONYM: Physesiphon punctulatus Rchb.f. Bot. Zeit. 224: 385. 1866 (TYPE: Wahrscheinlch aus Nueva Granada [Ocafia]. Cultvirt in Wandsworth, West Hil, bei Herrn S. Rucker, [Oct, 18651 holo. Wis4344); iso. K! WI7055, 101431!); non Pleurothallis punctulata Rolfe. SYNONYMS: Physosiphon guatemalense Rolfe, Bull. Mise. Inf, Kew 189156): 197. 1851 (Syntypes: Guatemala, “appeared with Odontoglossum grande”... sent by Mr. .W. Moore, Glasnevin Bot. Gard, June 1890, K! and June 1891, K!); Physosiphon minor Rendle, }. Bot. 38: 275. 1900 (Type: Costa Rica, A. Tonduz, flowered by M.W, Barbay at Chambésy, near Geneva. Apr. 27, 1900, flowers dirty yellow, lip crimson, holo. BM! clonotype sent by Rendle, Oct 1901, April 1902, KI); Pleurothalls minor (Rendle) L.O.Williams, Ceiba 1: 186. 1950; Physosiphon cooperi Ames, Sched. Orch, 1: 2-3. 1922 (Type: Costa Rica: Cartago, alt, 5000 ft, May 1888, . Cooper 487; holo. US|814957); iso. AMES|22527)); Physosiphon maculatus Rchb.f, nomen (Based on: Colombia. Bogoté, Linden 966 WI41112I!). Hierba epifita, densamente cespitosa, de 4-10 cm de alto, Raices sencillas, de ca, 0.4 mm de grosor. Tallos de 2 entrenudos, subteretes, hasta de 18 mm de largo, 0.9 mm de grosor; con vainas tubulares, escariosas, carinadas, apiculadas, hasta de 22 mm de largo. Hojas con un peciolo acanalado hasta de 15 mm de largo; lémina eliptica a oblanceolada, redondeada, el pice hendido y mucronado; verdes, el haz muy brilante, sulcado; muy suculenta y rigida, de 20-46 x 8-16 mm. Inflorescencias 1-2 por tallo, un racimo alargado, erecto-arqueado, eventualmente colgante, hasta con 50 flores y 5-19 em de largo; pedlinculo corto, con 2-3, entrenudos, raquisfiforme, subterete, glabro, sublaxo, subdistico, 0.2-0.3 mm de grosor. Brécteas florales tubular-infundibuliformes, oblicuas, membranaceas, ca. 2.2 mm de largo. Flores de 3.5-4 mm de largo, tubulares, trigonas, muy carnosas; sépalos con 1/3-1/2 basal purpura en la superficie interna (transparentindose hasta la externa), el resto amarillo verdoso, anaranjado en las flores viejas; pétalos purpura negruzco, lustrosos; labelo pirpura brillante; columna crema-verdosa, translicida, tefida de pirpura, antera amarillenta-pirpura. Ovario fusiforme, sulcado, de 1.8-2.2 mm de largo, 0.5 mm de grosor; pedicelo terete, de ca. 2 mm de largo. Sépalos fusionados entre si unos 1.5 mm para formar el tubo sepalino, ventralmente giboso; obtuso-redondeados, muy carnosos, conspicuamente carinados, la quilla proyectindose en un mucrén, céncavos, 3-nervados; el dorsal oblongo-eliptico, de 3.3 x 1.5-1.7 ‘mim; los laterales oblongo-falcados, de 3-3.2 x 1.5-1.7 mm. Pétalos paralelos a la columna, rémbico-espatulados, redondeados en el pice, atenuados en la base, t-nervades, carinados, de 1.2-1.3 x 0.4-0.5 mm. Labelo muy arqueado, de 1.7-1.9 mm de largo, 0.73 mm de ancho} con una ua de ca. 0.1 mm de largo; lamina muy carnosa, masiva, base largamente atenuada, con los margenes revolutos; con 2 lébulos laterales en el tercio medio, alzados, ampliamente arqueados, limitando un canal, de 0.6-0.7 x 0.3 mm; Isbulo medio muy engrosado (ca. 0.3 mm de grosor), redondeado, papiloso-verrucoso, sin callo en la superficie adaxial, cara abaxial angulosa, con lun engrosamiento axial en forma de “Y"; de 0.7-0.8 x 0.5 mm. Columna con un cuerpo subclavado, de ca. 1.7 mm de largo, 0.5 mm de ancho; con 2 alas apicales, vrtcales, truncadas, denticuladas; clinandrio bilobado, denticulado; pie céncavo, marginado, de 1 mm. de largo. Cavidad estigmatica viscosa, subcuadrach, bore inferior engrosado, de ca. 0.25 x 0.25 mm; rostelo galeado, subcuadrado, de ca, 0.25 x 0.25 mm. Antera ventral, galeada, ovoide-mitrforme, de ca. 0.4 x 0.25 mm. Polinario de ca. 0.2 mm de largo, con palinios obovoides, lateralmente comprimidos, amarillo palide, unidos a caudiculas muy cortas, granulosas. CApsula elipsoide, trigona, alada, lisa, de 6 mm de largo, 2.5 mm de grosor; con restos del perianto en el apice. Smal, densely caespitose herb. Stems ‘-leaved, with 2 internodes, subterete, with tubular, scarious sheaths. Leaves petiolate, the blade elliptic to oblanceolate, rounded, the apex notched and with a mucro; fleshy, tif, shiny. Inflorescence a long raceme with many flowers, erectarcuate, eventually hanging, rachis filiform, rather loose, subdistichous. Flowers tubular, trigonous, very fleshy, the sepals fused almosta half oftheir length in a sepaline tube, the tube purple inside, the free part yellowish-green, fading in orange color, petals and lip blackish purple. Sepals keeled, obtuse-rounded, mucronate; the dorsal one elliptic, the lateral ones oblong-falcate. Petals rhombic-spathulate, rounded. Lip arcuate, clawed; blade thick, fleshy, with 2 lateral lobes on the mid third, the lobes erect; midlobe papillose-warty, rounded; abaxially keeled. Column with an elongate, subclavate body, with 2 apical, vertical wings and a bilobed clinandrium; with a prominent column foot. Anther and stigma ventral. Pollinarium with 2 obovoid, compressed pollinia and granulose caudicles. DISTRIBUTION: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. In Mexico itis known only from the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. ECOLOGY: Epiphytc in humid, seasonally dry oak forest, at 1800-1900 m altitude. It flowers during the summer and fall. Apparently a few flowers of the racemes are sel-pollinated. RECOGNITION: This Stelis, previously classified in Physosiphon, is distinguished by its short plants and long inflorescences with suocessve, very fleshy lowers. The sepaline tube is purple in the inside and the apices are greenish yellow, aging in orange color. The name Physosiphon minor Rendle has been used for the Central American plants but this taxon seems to be inseparable from S. punctulatus. Stelis punctulata seems to be somewhat variable in Dy 1 Size. Thetype specimen has flowers 3.3 mm long, about the size 5 fa ‘of Mexican flowers. The type of P. guatemalense has larger flowers, x (ca. 5.7 mm long), and those of P. minor are just 3 mm long. this variation does not seem associated to geographic bution, it seems bette to considera single species, CONSERVATION STATUS: Not threatened. EXAMINED SPECIMENS: CHIAPAS: Soto 5793 iil. voucher), 5798, 5799, 6160 & Martinez AMO! REFERENCES: Ames. O. and D'S. Correll. 1952. Orchids of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany 26(1): 183; Dunsterville, G.C-K. +1986, Descriptions of orchids not included in Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated. Lindleyane 1(4): 294-295. Reichenbach, H.G. 1868. Saunder's Refugium Botanicum It: pl. 96 Author: M. Soto Mustrator: R. Jiménez Editors: E. Hagsater & M. Soto Herbario AMO, Apartado Postal 53-123, 11320 México, D.F., MEXICO ICONES ORCHIDACEARUM 5-6, 2002, Plate 690STELIS PUNCTULATA (Rchb.f.) Soto Arenas Plate 690 ORCHIDS OF MEXICO PARTS 2-3 ICONES ORCHIDACEARUM 5-6, 2002