Lepanthes acrogenia Luer & R.Escobar (1991: 94)

Monteros, Marco F., Restrepo, Eugenio, Iturralde, Gabriel A., Jiménez, Marco M. & Baquero, Luis E., 2023, Contributions to the Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) knowledge in Ecuador: A new species from Cordillera del Toisán and new records for the country, Phytotaxa 622 (3), pp. 204-214 : 208-209

Lepanthes acrogenia Luer & R.Escobar (1991: 94) ( Figure 4A ).

Type:— COLOMBIA. Nariño: Epiphytic in cloud forest above Ricaurte , alt. 1600 m, 3 Nov 1979, C . Luer et al. 4624 (holotype: SEL) .

Examined specimen: ECUADOR. Carchi: Reserva Dracula , coordinates omitted for conservation purposes, 1400 m, 30 Jul 2021, M. F . Monteros MFM216 ( QCNE) .

Distribution and ecology: Lepanthes acrogenia was previously known from the southwest of Colombia, in the department of Nariño. This species grows in cloud forests at 1600 m ( Luer & Thoerle 2012). Few records have been reported in the literature for this species, and the most recent ones have been documented on internet platforms such as Flickr.com (https://www.flickr.com/photos/semoreno/27422277878), also from Nariño. Recently L. acrogenia was recorded from the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador in the Carchi province from 1400 to 2000 m of elevation ( Figure 5 ), extending the distribution of this species 40 km to the south of the type locality and rising 400 m above the previous record from Colombia ( Figure 3 ). In northwestern Ecuador, Lepanthes acrogenia has been observed blooming in situ between June and July.

Taxonomic Discussion: Lepanthes acrogenia is characterized by the long-pedicellate, distichous raceme borne on the top of a narrowly ovate leaf; the orange to dark red, ciliate sepals with denticulate margins; the externally spiculatecarinate veins; the deeply cucullate dorsal sepal; the narrowly triangular, free, and spreading lateral sepals. The petals are purple, cellular-glandular, transversely bilobed, the upper lobe is obtuse, much larger than the lower lobe. The connectives are broad with thickened margins forming the blades of the lip, and the appendix is large and fleshy, descending downward from the body ( Luer & Thoerle 2012). The morphological features of the known populations of L. acrogenia from northwestern Ecuador are generally similar to the Colombian populations. Nevertheless, Luer & Thorle (2012) described the petals of L. acrogenia as cellular-glandular, whereas the petals of the analyzed Ecuadorian specimens are pubescent.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Lepanthes inesmanzanoae M.F.Monteros & E.Restrepo with its similar species and new records of Lepanthes for Ecuador. Map generated by Marco F. Monteros.

FIGURE 4. Images of the specimens of the new Lepanthes species for Ecuador. A. L. acrogenia Luer & R.Escobar. MFM216 (QCNE). B. L. elata Reichenbach.f. MFM219 (QCNE). C. L. quadricornis Luer & R.Escobar MFM220 (QCNE). D. L. ricaurtensis Luer & R.Escobar. MFM218 (QCNE). Photographs by Marco F. Monteros. Plate by Eugenio Restrepo.

FIGURE 5. Comparison between different morphotypes of L. acrogenia Luer & R.Escobar. A. Plant from Ecuador found at 2000 m, not collected. B. Plant from close to the type locality in Colombia. Photographs by Marco F. Monteros (A, C) & Sebastian Moreno (B, D). Plate by Eugenio Restrepo.