diagnoSiS: Pleurothallis franciana is similar to Pleu-rothallis ariana-dayanae Vélez-Abarca, M.M.Jiménez & D.Gut. del Pozo from which it differs by having a narrowly ovate-lanceolate dorsal sepal (vs. lanceo-late), an ovate synsepal (vs. broadly ovate) and the lip oblong-lanceolate, acute, vesiculose (vs. ovate-elliptic, obtuse, verrucose-papillose), with an obovate glenion (vs. slightly bilobed)
Plant 4 to 12 cm tall, epiphytic, caespitose, erect to suberect. Roots slender, 1 mm in diameter. Ramicauls green, 3.5–11 cm long, with a tubular sheath on the lower third and two other sheaths at the base, papyra-ceous, light brown. Leaf light green, bright, coriaceous, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 3–5 × 2.4–3.5 cm, the base sessile, cordate. Inflorescence a fascicle of suc-cessive flowers, one flower, rarely with two simultane-ous flowers, enclosed at the base by a spathaceous bract ca. 2.8 mm long; peduncle terete, green, 2.0–3.8 mm long; floral bract tubular, papyraceous, acute, 1.5–2.8 mm long. Pedicel terete, up to 3.2 mm long. Ovary yellow with red tones and some black dots, papillate, pedicellate, cylindrical, longitudinal sulcate, with some black dots, 2.5 mm long. Sepals membranaceous, glan-dular-papillate, margins irregular. Dorsal sepal reddish purple, margins slightly yellow, narrowly ovate-lanceo-late, rounded, 3.9–4.4 × 1.5–1.9 mm, 3-veined. Lateral sepals yellow spotted with reddish-purple, connate into an ovate, acute to bifid synsepal, concave at base, 4.2–4.5 × 2.4–2.7 mm, 4-veined. Petals reddish purple, fleshy, linear, slightly glandular-papillose, acute, mar-gins irregular, 2.3–2.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm, 1-veined. Lip red-dish purple, fleshy, oblong-lanceolate, acute, vesiculose, margin erose, 2.2–2.5 × 1.2–1.4 mm, 3-veined, disc with a small, obovate glenion near the base, the base forming two rounded, pronounced lobes. Column reddish pur-ple, short, broad, semiterete, margins irregular, 0.8 × 1.0 mm, with a short foot, thick; stigma apical, bilobed. An-ther cap yellow, apical, obovate, minutely papillose, 0.6 × 0.4 mm Pollinia 2, yellow, obovoid. Capsule not seen