Encyclia silverarum Leopardi & Carnevali, 2014

Leopardi-Verde, Carlos L., Reina-Rodríguez, Guillermo A., Carnevali, Germán & Romero-González, Gustavo A., 2014, Two new greenish Encyclia: E. parkeri and E. silverarum (Laeliinae, Orchidaceae), Phytotaxa 183 (3), pp. 159-170 : 161-164

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.183.3.3

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03AF879B-3A11-C502-FF5A-FC8DFEF63944

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Encyclia silverarum Leopardi & Carnevali
status

sp. nov.

Encyclia silverarum Leopardi & Carnevali View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 )

This species is very similar to Encyclia chloroleuca ; however, it is easily distinguished by its color tending to pale green-yellowish brown and its falcate lateral lobes (versus perpendicular in E. chloroleuca ), which are proportionately shorter (<0.60 cm long) than those of E. chloroleuca (> 0.80 cm long).

Type:— PANAMA. Panamá: Capira, Bajo Bonito , 13 April 2012, G. & K . Silvera , s.n. ( PMA!, holotype) .

Epiphytic herb, 35 cm tall, up to 60 cm including the inflorescence. Rhizome tough, fibrous. Pseudobulbs 2.5−3.0 × 1.6−2.1 cm, clustered but shortly creeping, ovoid, apically 2−3-leaved, green and smooth when young, and finely wrinkled when old, when young clothed in white papyraceous, non-persistent sheaths. Leaves 18−20 × 1.7− 0.9 cm, narrowly oblong elliptic, thick, rigid, midnerve carinate mainly in the lower half. Inflorescences 45−60 cm long, terminal, erect, a multiflowered raceme or panicle, peduncle green, smooth, thin but fairly strong. Flowers resupinate, showy, 2.2−2.5 cm across the spread apices of the petals; perianth segments leathery; sepals and petals pale greenyellowish brown; the labellum ground color white to creamy white, slightly tinged with maroon at the distal margin of the central lobe, and with five thicker nerves running down the callus into the apex, these nerves are colored with purple stripes, the lateral lobes tinged with maroon; the callus creamy white; column green, grading to creamy white on the distal half; sepals subsimilar but the lateral somewhat oblique, dorsal sepal: 1.30−1.40 × 0.40−0.50 cm, oblanceolate, obtuse or rounded, lateral sepals: 1.20−1.30 × 0.40−0.50 cm, lanceolate, slightly oblique, broadly acute to acuminate; petals 1.30−1.40 × 0.50−0.60 cm, spathulate, narrowed on the lower half to a narrow claw 0.10−0.15 cm wide; labellum conspicuously 3-lobed, free from column except at the base, total labellum length 1.05−1.15 cm, 0.90−1.00 cm across lateral lobes; the central lobe obovate to elliptic, with a small apiculus at apex, 0.60−0.65 × 0.55−0.60 cm; lateral lobes 0.55−0.60 cm long, 0.30−0.35 cm wide at mid-length, 0.35−0.40 cm wide at base, falcate, oblong, apically rounded to, the apex somewhat reflexed in natural position; callus 0.40−0.50 × 0.13−0.18 cm, subrhombic to quadrangular, composed of two broad, high keels running from just above the base of the labellum well (ca. 0.20 cm) into the blade of the central lobe, with a shallow, nearly oblong depression running from the base to the apex up to 3/4 of the total length of the callus, from the apex of the callus arises one elevated nerve that extends almost to the apex of the midlobe. Column 0.60−0.65 × 0.30−0.35 cm, 0.20 cm wide at base, 0.18 cm at its narrowest, 0.31 cm at its highest, semicylindric to slightly triangular, clavate in ventral outline, provided with a pair of triangular–subquadrate auricles on the apical fourth, auricles 0.10 cm long, 0.10 cm broad at the base; anther cream white to pale yellow, ca. 0.60 cm wide, 0.56 cm deep; pollinia 4, pale yellow, 0.23−0.28 × 0.18−0.22 cm, with yellow caudicles; stigmatic surface 0.16−0.18 × 0.16−0.18 cm, obovate; pedicellate ovary cylindrical, smooth, 1.70−1.80 cm long ( Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

Discussion:— Since Oakes Ames described Encyclia amanda in 1923, it was thought that, in Central America, E. chloroleuca was replaced by this species, and therefore all specimens related to E. chloroleuca , including the Mexican ones (e.g., Carnevali et al. 2001), were identified as E. amanda . However, a detailed examination of the holotype of E. amanda showed no difference between this concept and E. chloroleuca (see Figures 2−3 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ; Pupulin & Bogarín 2012), and much of the herbarium material currently annotated as E. amanda actually corresponds to either E. chloroleuca (e.g. Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 L−U, and Silvera & Silvera 2012), although plants tend to be a little less robust than South American specimens, or to what we here describe as E. silverarum (see key to species in the E. chloroleuca complex below).

on the holotype; L−U based on Carnevali 6315 ( CICY!) .

Encyclia silverarum has been reported from Panama as E. amanda ( Dressler 2004a: photography of E. amanda, Silvera & Silvera 2012 : table 1) and is very similar to E. chloroleuca , which also has been reported from that country (e.g., Silvera & Silvera 2012); however, it is easily distinguished by its color tending to pale green-yellowish brown and its falcate, proportionately shorter (<0.60 cm long) lateral lobes in comparison with those of E. chloroleuca which are perpendicular and longer (> 0.80 cm long; Figures 1−2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 ). Encyclia silverarum is distinguished from E. peraltensis ( Figure 4 A View FIGURE 4 ) by its proportionally short and wide lateral lobes. Moreover, flowers are ca. 2.2 cm across the spread apices of the petals, lateral lobes of the labellum 0.55−0.60 × 0.30 cm in E. silverarum and flowers ca. 1.0 cm across the spread apices of the petals 0.48−0.55 × 0.18 cm in E. peraltensis . The smooth pedicellate ovary and rachis of E. silverarum sharply contrast with that of E. peraltensis , where it is conspicuosly warty. Encyclia peraltensis is known from Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. The smooth central lobe of the labellum (provided only with a sharp keel) and the short and wide lateral lobes of the labellum also distinguishes Encyclia silverarum from E. parkeri , a South American species proposed below ( Figures 1 View FIGURE 1 , 5 View FIGURE 5 ).

Distribution and ecology:— Encyclia silverarum is known only from Panama ( Figure 1 View FIGURE 1 ). This species grows in tropical, shade-loving, broad-leaved montane or submontane forest. It was found within an area with a rugged, mountainous topography. The area is in the Panama Canal Watershed (Pacific slope). The temperature ranges from 19−32 ºC. The precipitation is ca. 2500 mm, and it is more or less evenly distributed throughout of the year; dry periods are short (1−2 weeks) and they occur between December to April. This area still holds altered remnants of primary and secondary forest. The main activity is cattle ranching and subsistence farming. Both, Encyclia chloroleuca and E. elegantula have also been found in this area.

Eponymy:— This new species honors Gaspar Silvera and his daughter Katia who collected the plants and provided us with material, illustrations, and ecological data. Gaspar is a well-known orchid nurseryman from Panama who has reproduced and raised many orchid species, including this one, from seeds. Katia is a specialist in the evolution of physiological mechanisms in epiphytes, particularly of CAM in orchids. The specific epithet was constructed in accordance to article 60C.1 ( McNeill et al. 2012), which specifies that when honoring more that one person in an epithet whose name ends in “a”, the correct plural form should be constructed with the addition of -rum; thus “ silvera - rum ” after the Silveras.

IUCN Conservation assessment:— Least Concern (LC). Although Encyclia silverarum has a distribution area of less than 20000 km 2 (Extent of Occurrence = 13752.90 km 2, based on the collections cited in this paper), the area occupied is greater than 2000 km 2 (Area of Occurrence = 4992.58 km 2, based on a cell of 35.33 km); therefore we decided to refer it to the LC category. While this species is not currently endangered, it would be desirable to keep it under observation. This conservation assessment was made with the help of GeoCAT software ( Bachman et al. 2011), with the criteria suggested by Willis et al. (2003) about cell size and the use of herbarium material as data source.

Paratypes:— PANAMA. Colon: Near Agua Clara rain gauge, Santa Rita lumber road, 18 May 1972, R . Dressler 4187 ( MO!) . Panama: Cerro Jefe, headwaters of Río Cascadas , 30 April 1971, R . Dressler & N . Williams 4017 ( MO!); between Cerro Azul and Cerro Jefe, 05 April 1970, R . Dressler 3866 ( MO!); Cerro Campana, 27 February 1971, R . Dressler s.n. ( MO!) .

G

Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève

K

Royal Botanic Gardens

PMA

Provincial Museum of Alberta

CICY

Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. (CICY)

R

Departamento de Geologia, Universidad de Chile

MO

Missouri Botanical Garden

N

Nanjing University

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Asparagales

Family

Orchidaceae

Genus

Encyclia

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