Encyclia inopinata Leopardi, Carnevali & G.A.Romero, 2016

Leopardi-Verde, Carlos L., Carnevali, German & Romero-Gonzalez, Gustavo A., 2016, Encyclia inopinata (Orchidaceae, Laeliinae) a new species from Mexico, PhytoKeys 58, pp. 87-95 : 88-92

Encyclia inopinata Leopardi, Carnevali & G.A.Romero sp. nov. Figures 1 , 2

Type.

MEXICO. Oaxaca: Distrito de Tlaxiaco, Municipio de Santiago de Yosondúa, 2.8 km. al SSE en línea recta (4-5 mm. por carretera) de Santiago de Yosondúa por la vía a Yerba Santa, 16°49'18.26"N, 97°35'11.63"W, 1267 m, 24/VI/2010, G. Carnevali & C. Leopardi 7139 (Holotype CICY; isotypes AMES, AMO).

Diagnosis.

Encyclia inopinata is similar to Encyclia diota , but it can be distinguished by its flowers with longer and narrower sepals (1.8 ± 0.1 × 0.63 ± 0.03 cm in Encyclia inopinata versus 1.48 ± 0.14 × 0.65 ± 0.06 cm in Encyclia diota ) and petals (1.7 ± 0.05 × 0.59 ± 0.05 cm in Encyclia inopinata vs. 1.36 ± 0.19 × 0.81 ± 0.13 cm in Encyclia diota ), and the labellum with narrow lateral lobes (0.18 ± 0.02 in Encyclia inopinata vs. 0.41 ± 0.10 cm in Encyclia diota ). Other characters that differentiate these two species are the coriaceous sepals, pink callus, and white anther of Encyclia inopinata (versus fleshy-leathery sepals, white callus, and yellow anther of Encyclia diota ).

Description.

Epiphytic herb, 30-42 cm tall, up to 80-90 cm including the inflorescence. Rhizome short and fibrous. Pseudobulbs 5.0-8.0 × 3.9-4.5 cm, clustered, ovoid to pyriform, apically 2-3-leaved, green and smooth when young, covered with papery sheaths that eventually defibrate and disintegrate, when old sometimes stained with maroon or purple. Leaves 34-38 × 2.8-3.5 cm, linear-oblong to oblong-ligulate, subacute, coriaceous, conduplicate at the base, dark green to purple tinged with central nerve marked mainly on abaxial face. Inflorescence 60-90 cm long, terminal, erect, racemose or paniculated, when panicles with 3-5 branches of 2.6-11 cm long, each branch with 3-8 flowers, the entire inflorescence with up to 50 flowers; peduncle slender but strong, smooth, usually green, with adppressed sheaths of 0.9-1.4 cm long, that become smaller toward the apex; bracts inconspicuous, triangular of 0.2-0.5 cm long; pedicellate ovary 1.3-1.7 cm long, smooth. Flowers resupinate, showy, 3.0-3.4 cm diameter (between the tips of the petals); sepals and petals coriaceous, bronze-green, veins marked with dark purple lines; labellum green towards the base and pale, dull yellow-green toward the apex, with reddish-brown lines, the central lobe with well developed keels that reach the apex, of these the most conspicuous is the central one, lateral lobes with reddish brown lines that extend almost to the apex, lateral lobes free of the central lobe, pale pink callus; column creamy white with reddish-brown spots and lines; sepals similar, oblanceolate, acute, the laterals oblique, dorsal sepal 1.7-1.9 × 0.60-0.65 cm, lateral sepals 1.7-1.9 × 0.60-0.65 cm; petals 1.65-1.73 × 0.57-0.60 cm, obovate-spatulate to narrowly obovate-spatulate, with a conspicuous claw towards the base of 0.64-0.68 × 0.10-0.16 cm, acute to acuminate. Labellum 1.25-1.35 × 0.9 -1.1 cm, 3-lobulate, free of the column except at the base, central lobe 0.5-0.7 × 0.6-0.8 cm, ovate, shortly acuminate; lateral lobes 0.80-0.90 cm long, 0.17-0.20 cm wide in the middle portion and 0.4-0.5 cm wide in the portion that lies between the base of the labellum and which separates within the central lobe, oblong, rounded towards the apex, separated of the central lobe by a sinus of ca. 0.1 cm width; in natural position lateral lobes are reflexed at the apex, and embrace the column; callus 0.45-0.49 × 0.24-0.28 cm, sub-rhombic, hirsute, consisting of two keels separated by a conspicuous sulcus, which widens slightly and forms a fovea, these keels converge towards the apex of the callus extending into the blade of the central lobe of the labellum as a keel that reaches the apex. Column 0.6-0.7 × 0.2-0.3 cm, semi-cylindrical, straight, ventral outline slightly clavate, wingless; anther 0.18-0.22 × 0.18-0.22 cm, white; pollinia 4, yellow, separated into groups of two, yellow caudicles; stigmatic surface 0.23-0.29 × 0.19-0.24 cm, subquadrate; rostellum 0.060-0.064 × 0.149-0.153 cm, semicircular. Capsule not seen (Figure 1 A-J ).

Additional specimens examined.

MEXICO. Oaxaca: El Llano, IV/1964, Miller sub G. Pollard E-34 (AMO; card); km. 230 Puerto Escondido Highway to Oaxaca, V/1964, G. Pollard E-45 (AMO; card); km. 154 Puerto Escondido Highway, 28/I/1969, G. Pollard E-209-D (AMO; card); Municipio San Juan Cacahuatepec, ca. 10.5 km north of San Juan Cacahuatepec, 15/III/1967, G. Pollard E-209-C (AMO; card).

Distribution and ecology.

Encyclia inopinata has been reported only from Oaxaca state near the pacific slope from north of Puerto Escondido to north of San Juan Cacauatepec (near the border with the Guerrero state) in deciduous forest, ca. 1200 m (Figure 2 ). It usually grows as a lithophyte. This species appears to be rare. It blooms between March and July.

Etymology.

From the Latin inopinatus, unexpected, in reference to the surprise that we felt when first seeing the new species in bloom and realizing that it was an undescribed species in the Encyclia diota complex.

Comments.

Dressler and Pollard (1974: 130) suggested that a population of Encyclia aenicta in Oaxaca "tend[s] to have longer and wider lateral lobes and also tends to be more yellowish in color, suggesting, some hybridization with Encyclia diota ." These authors implied that, size-wise, this entity was more similar to Encyclia aenicta than to Encyclia diota . The locality and characters showed by Dressler and Pollard (1974: 130) strongly suggests that they were referring to a population of what is here proposed as Encyclia inopinata . Another source containing information about an entity similar to Encyclia inopinata is the "Notes on Encyclia ", and unpublished manuscript of G. Pollard (housed at the AMO library). Tome 4 ("N to O"), page 69, describes a specimen that matches well our concept of Encyclia inopinata . This manuscript also has additional cards (E-34 y E-45, p. 70 and 72 respectively) and pictures (p. 71) showing specimens that, again, match well the new species proposed herein.

Hybridization, most likely, has played an important role in the evolution and diversification of Encyclia ( Dressler and Pollard 1974, Leopardi-Verde 2014). However, in this case, it is difficult to support the hypothesis of a cross between Encyclia diota and Encyclia aenicta as the origin of Encyclia inopinata ( Dressler and Pollard 1974: 130). We strongly reject this hypothesis considering that there is no contact zone between these taxa (Figure 2 ) and, in addition, the lack of morphological intermediacy between the hypothetical parents of such hybrid.

Finally, Encyclia inopinata resembles Encyclia diota in floral colors, but the texture and proportions of the flowers are very different (see diagnosis above). Encyclia inopinata is also similar to Encyclia insidiosa , an entity from Central America (ranges from Nicaragua to northern Guatemala). Encyclia inopinata and Encyclia insidiosa can be discriminated by the tendency of the second to have sepals and petals dirty ocher to chocolate, whereas in Encyclia inopinata these structures are bronze-green. The anther in Encyclia insidiosa is yellow whereas in Encyclia inopinata it is white or creamy white. The sepals and petals in Encyclia insidiosa are shorter than in Encyclia inopinata (1.54-1.68 cm versus 1.7-1.9 cm). The labellum of Encyclia insidiosa and Encyclia inopinata are similar in length, but in the former is wider (1.22-1.38 × 1.31-1.61 cm versus 1.25-1.35 × vs. 0.9-1.1 cm).

Figures

Figure 1. Encyclia inopinata. A Flower in frontal view B Perianth C Spread labellum D-F Column and labellum, in natural position, in dorsal (D) lateral (E) and ventral (F) views G-H Column in ventral (G) and lateral (H) views I Anther J Pedicellate ovary. Based on the holotype.

Figure 2. Distribution of species of the Encyclia diota complex. The color bar in the right side represents the altitude in meters.