Two new species of Lepanthes (Pleurothallidinae, Orchidaceae) from the Alto de Ventanas, Colombia
Author
Vieira-Uribe, Sebastián
0000-0003-4325-1232
Sociedad Colombiana de Orquideología, Carrera 52 # 73 - 298, Medellín, Colombia & Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad Tropical - GIBIOT, Jardín Botánico de Medellín, Calle 73 # 51 D- 14, Medellín, Colombia & Grupo de investigación Schultes, Fundación Ecotonos, Carrera 72 # 13 A- 56, Cali, Colombia & utricseb @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4325 - 1232
utricseb@gmail.com
Author
Moreno, Juan Sebastián
0000-0002-0875-9498
Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 # 100 - 00, Cali, Colombia & Grupo de investigación Schultes, Fundación Ecotonos, Carrera 72 # 13 A- 56, Cali, Colombia & semoreno 113 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0875 - 9498
semoreno113@gmail.com
Author
Espinosa, Felipe
0000-0001-5932-7380
Grupo de investigación Schultes, Fundación Ecotonos, Carrera 72 # 13 A- 56, Cali, Colombia & felipeespinosam @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5932 - 7380
felipeespinosam@gmail.com
text
Phytotaxa
2022
2022-10-04
567
2
149
161
journal article
10.11646/phytotaxa.567.2.3
1179-3163
7141712
Lepanthes hwangiae
J.S.Moreno & S.Vieira-Uribe
,
sp. nov.
(
Figures 4
,
5
,
7
)
Type:
—
COLOMBIA
.
Antioquia
:
Municipio de Valdivia
,
Reserva Natural La Esperanza
,
Cloud forest
, epiphyte in thin branches next to the entrance to the reserve,
2160 m
,
31 january 2022
,
S.Vieira
30
(
holotype
: JAUM-Spirit!)
.
Lepanthes hwangiae
is most similar to
L. cyclochila
Luer & R.Escobar ex Viveros & W.E. Higgins (2007: 34)
, but it can be distinguished by its transversally bilobed petals with the upper lobe bifurcate in unequal lobes, with the external lobe triangular, obtuse and the internal lobe oblong, obtuse (
vs.
the upper lobe obliquely truncate) and the lower lobe oblong and rounded (
vs
. lower lobe oblong, shallowly bifurcate into 2 triangular, narrowly rounded lobes) and the lip sub-circular, slightly emarginate, with the oblong and rounded basal lobes erect, embracing the column and touching each other well above the column (
vs
. sub-quadrate, markedly emarginate, with the shortly triangular and obtuse basal lobes of the lip erect on each side of the column without touching each other). (Figures 6,7).
FIGURE 6.
Lankester composite dissection plate (LCDP) of
Lepanthes cyclochila
.
A.
Habit.
B.
Flower.
C.
Dissected perianth with lip expanded.
D.
Ovary, column and lip, lateral and dorsal view.
E.
Pollinarium and anther cap. Photographed by S.Vieira-Uribe and assembled by J.S.Moreno.
FIGURE 7.
Side by side comparison of
Lepanthes cyclochila
and
L.hwangiae
.
A.
Flowers, 1.
L. hwangiae
,
2.
L.cyclochila
.
B.
Ovary, column and lip, lateral view. 1.
L. hwangiae
,
2.
L.cyclochila
.
C.
Expanded lip. 1.
L. hwangiae
,
2.
L.cyclochila
.
D.
Petal. 1.
L. hwangiae
,
2.
L.cyclochila
.
Photographed by S.Vieira-Uribe and assembled by J.S.Moreno.
Description:—
Plant
, epiphytic, caespitose, up to
3 cm
tall.
Roots
slender, flexuous, filiform,
0.6 mm
in diameter.
Ramicauls
slender, suberect,
1.2–2.4 cm
long, enclosed by 7–9 acuminate, ribbed, microscopically ciliate along the ribs lepanthiform sheaths, with ciliate dilated ostia.
Leaves
abaxially purple, elliptical, the apex acute, incised and tri-apiculate, 1.2–1.7 ×
0.5–0.6 cm
, the cuneate base contracted into a
ca
.
1 mm
long petiole.
Inflorescence
a congested, distichous raceme successively many-flowered, up to 1/2 the length of the leaf,
0.6–0.9 cm
long including the peduncle, held on the abaxial surface of the leaf by a filiform, terete peduncle up to
5 mm
long borne near the apex of the ramicaul.
Floral bracts
conical, ciliate, acuminate, up to
0.7 mm
long;
pedicels
terete, verrucose, up to
1.5 mm
long.
Ovary
terete, costate, verrucose along the ribs, ca.
1.1 mm
long.
Flowers
with the sepals translucent saffron; petals saffron with the base suffused with crimson; the lip magenta with fulvous-saffron margins, the column pale gray with the apex magenta.
Dorsal sepal
elliptic, with papillose margins towards the apex, acuminate, 3-veined, 2.3 ×
1.4 mm
, connate at the base to the lateral sepals for
ca
.
0.25 mm
.
Lateral sepals
ovate-elliptic, oblique, with papillose margins towards the apex, the apex acute, sub-acuminate, 2-veined, 1.9–2.0 ×
1.2–1.3 mm
, connate at the base for ca.
0.25 mm
.
Petals
transversally bilobed, microscopically pubescent, 0.8 ×
3.8 mm
, 1 veined; the upper lobe oblong bifurcate in unequal lobes, the external lobe triangular, obtuse, the internal lobe oblong, obtuse,
1.7 mm
long; the lower lobe oblong, rounded, 2.0 mm long.
Lip
microscopically pubescent, sub-circular, bilobed, with the oblong and rounded basal lobes erect, embracing the column and touching each other well above the column, the apex rounded, emarginate, with a small apiculum in the sinus, 3-veined, 2.1 × 2.0 mm expanded, the base adnate to the base of the column.
Column
conical, terete,
ca.
1.2 mm
long including the rostellum, the anther dorsal, the stigma ventral.
Anther cap
purple, cordate, cucullate,
0.5 mm
long.
Pollinia
2, yellow, narrowly obovoid,
ca
.
0.6 mm
long, attached to a drop like viscidium.
Capsule
not seen.
Distribution and ecology
:—
Lepanthes hwangiae
is known from two localities in the Alto de Ventanas region in the north of the central Andes of
Colombia
, just a few kilometers apart and with the same elevation. It grows as an epiphyte in thin, moss-covered branches no more than
1 meter
from the ground, in partially shaded and humid areas inside primary and secondary cloud forests.
Etymology
:—Named to honor Joanne Hwang Pemberton, wife of Robert W. Pemberton, generous donor to the expansion of the natural reserve that protects the habitat of the new species.
Taxonomic Discussion
:—
Lepanthes hwangiae
is also similar to
L. petalopteryx
(
Figure 3C
), but this latter species could be recognized by the petals with both lobes similar, obliquely subquadrate or oblong, oblique, with the inner angles shortly acuminate-obtuse, the outer angles subacute, the outer angles obtusely angled at the center (
vs
. the upper lobe oblong bifurcate in unequal lobes, the external lobe triangular, obtuse, the internal lobe oblong, obtuse and the lower lobe oblong, rounded). Finally, the lip in
L. petalopteryx
is reniform with the lobes surrounding the column without touching each other (
vs
. sub-circular, embracing the column and touching each other well above the column) (
Figure 3C
).