Encyclia cyperifolia (C.Schweinf.) Carnevali & Ramírez (1993: 1257)

Bastos, Cláudia A., Meneguzzo, Thiago E. C. & Berg, Cássio Van Den, 2018, A taxonomic revision of the Brazilian species of Encyclia (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Epidendreae), Phytotaxa 342 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

13. Encyclia cyperifolia (C.Schweinf.) Carnevali & Ramírez (1993: 1257) . Basionym: Epidendrum cyperifolium

Schweinfurth (1953: 10). Type:— PERU. Loreto: Alto Rio Marañon, Foz do Rio Santiago , 160 m, 15 October 1924 ,

Tessmann 4301 (holotype: B†) ( Figs. 11 , 24M ).

Homotypic synonyms:

Encyclia microtos var. grandiflora (Schweinfurth) Hoehne (1952: 152) . Basionym:

Epidendrum microtos var. grandiflorum Schweinfurth (1943: 98) .

Heterotypic synonym:

Encyclia ensiformis (Ruiz & Pav.) Mansfeld , in sched., non Encyclia ensiformis ( Vellozo 1831: 2) Hoehne (1952: 151) . Basionym: Bletia ensiformis Ruiz López & Pavon (1798: 230) .

Type:— PERU. Pasco: Pozuzo, no date, Pavón s.n. (holotype: MA, photograph!) .

Epiphytic herbs, c. 35.0 cm tall. Pseudobulbs globose, 3.5 × 1.2−1.4 cm. Leaves 3, linear, 25.0−33.0 × 0.3 cm, apex acute. Inflorescence a densely 10–15-flowered, simple raceme; peduncle 18.5 cm long; rachis 7.8 cm long. Flowers with pedicel 1.8−2.2 × 0.3 cm, warty; sepals yellowish green, streaked with pink, dorsal lanceolate, 1.3−1.6 × 0.3 cm, laterals lanceolate, 1.3−1.6 × 0.3 cm, pendent, margin entire, apex acute; petals yellowish green streaked pink, spatulate, 1.0−1.3 × 0.2−0.3 cm, pendent, margin entire, apex acute; lip unguiculate, claw 0.1 × 0.3 cm, free lateral lobes relative to triangular midlobe, 0.3 × 0.2 cm, yellowish with pink stripes, at about a 90° angle to midlobe (in the flattened lip), not overlapping it, margin entire, apex obtuse, midlobe obcordate, 0.4−0.6 × 0.4−0.6 cm, yellowish with pink stripes, conduplicate, margin gently undulate, apex emarginate, callus cymbiform, apex of the callus acute; column clavate, 0.6 × 0.2 cm, clinandrium apex tridentate, lateral teeth triangular, apex acute, column arms absent; stigma oval, without hooks; anther one, yellow.

Distribution and habitat:— cerrado in Goiás State ( Fig. 10 ).

Phenology:— Flowering July–August.

Etymology:— From the Latin cyperus and folium, a reference to the leaf shape reminiscent of a sedge, Cyperus, triangular in cross-section.

Taxonomic notes:— Considered rare and differing from other species by its spherical pseudobulbs and absence of column arms. Epidendrum cyperifolium was published by Schweinfurth as a replacement for a name he considered initially as a variety of Epidendrum microtos Reichenbach (1856: 326) , Epidendrum microtos var. grandiflorum C.Schweinf. When he noticed that this material belonged to a new taxon unrelated to Epidendrum microtos , he had to propose a new name because the epithet Epidendrum grandiflorum had been previously used by Humboldt & Bonpland (1813). He then proposed Epidendrum cyperifolium , later transferred to Encyclia . However, in the publication of Epi. cyperifolium, Schweinfurth mentioned that he had seen a photograph of Bletia ensiformis that he considered with high probability to be conspecific with Epidendrum cyperifolium . He admitted that at the time an examination of the flower was impossible and left this an open question. There was already an Epidendrum ensiforme Vellozo (1831 : t. 2), combined in Encyclia by Hoehne (1952), and therefore this epithet cannot be used, making the oldest valid name E. cyperifolia .

The type of Epidendrum microtos var. grandiflorum was was destroyed in Berlin (pers. comm., B curators). We agree with the suspicion of Schweinfurth (1953) in relation to B. ensiformis because in his detailed comparison with the type of the latter, it is clear that Epidendrum cyperifolium is conspecific with B. ensiformis , basically a plant with narrow, long leaves (ca. 50.00 × 0.75 cm) and yellowish green flowers with light pink in the sepals and petals and some stripes on the lip, an obcordate midlobe and triangular lateral lobes.

Since the holotype of E. cyperifolia was destroyed, the paratype (Schunke 1114) should be selected as lectotype. However we could not locate this material either, and if not found a neotype should be selected in the future, preferably from near the original location in Peru.

Selected specimens examined: BRAZIL. Goiás: Anápolis , 19 August 1960, no collector ( ESA 5268 ) ; no locality, 25 July 2009, Meneguzzo 231 ( UB) ; Palestina de Goiás, 25 July 2009, Meneguzzo 230 ( UB) .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Distribution in Brazil of Encyclia cyperifolia, E. dichroma, E. duveenii, E. fimbriata, E. fowlie and E. gallopavina.

FIGURE 11. A−D. Encyclia cyperifolia. A. Dorsal sepal. B. Lateral sepals. C. Petal. D. Lip (sin collector, ESA 5268). E−K. Encyclia dichroma. E. Dorsal sepal. F. Lateral sepals. G. Petal. H. Lip. I. Detail of lip callus. J. Column front view. K. Column side view (Belém & Pinheiro 2426). L−S. Encyclia duveenii. L. Habit. M. Dorsal sepal. N. Lateral sepals. O. Petal. P. Lip. Q. Detail of lip callus. R. Column front view. S. Column side view (Pirani et al. 12470). Illustration by Carla de Lima.

FIGURE 24. A. ×Catyclia ×intermedia. B. Encyclia advena. C. Encyclia alboxanthina. D. Encyclia andrichii. E. Encyclia argentinensis. F.Encyclia auyantepuiensis. G. Encyclia bohnkiana. H. Encyclia bracteata. I. Encyclia bragancae. J. Encyclia chapadensis. K. Encyclia chloroleuca. L. Encyclia conchaechila. M. Encyclia cyperifolia. (Photographers: A: A. Peres Júnior. B, D−E, G−J: C. van den Berg. C: U.C.S. Silva. F: E. Pessoa. K−L: T.E.C. Meneguzzo).