Lepanthes odobenus Damian & B.T.Larsen, 2017

Damian, Alexander & Larsen, Bruno, 2017, Three new species of Lepanthes (Pleurothalldinae: Orchidaceae) From Amazonas, Peru, Phytotaxa 291 (2), pp. 149-156 : 151

Lepanthes odobenus Damian & B.T.Larsen , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 , 4B )

Type:— PERU. Amazonas: Prov. Chachapoyas, Dist. Magdalena, above “Saula”, 187463.00 m E, 9291401.00 m S, 2800 m, 20 March 2016, A. Damián & J.Torres 7010 (holotype MOL!, isotype UFV!).

Similar to Lepanthes golbasto Luer & Hirtz in Luer (1985: 164) from which it differs by its smooth ovary, marginally smooth sepals, and oblong, glabrous, apically 1–2 long ciliate blades of the lip.

Plant small, epiphytic, caespitose to 10 cm tall. Roots slender, flexuous, to 0.5 mm in diameter. Ramicauls, slender, erect, 1–3 cm long, enclosed by 3–7, closely adpressed, ribbed, microscopically scabrous lepanthiform sheaths, dilated at apex into an obliquely lanceolate, acuminate ostia, ciliate along the margins. Leave s erect, coriaceous, obovate, shortly mucronate at the apex, 0.7–1.5 cm long, 0.6–0.7 mm wide, base cuneate into a petiole 1 mm long, the apex cuspidate-acute, excise, with the tip of the central vein protruding abaxially within the sinus. Inflorescence exceeding the leaf, a subdense, successively several-flowered, loose raceme up to 5.5 cm long, including the 1.2 cm long peduncle; floral bracts conduplicate, acute, densely muricate, 1.5 mm long; pedicel terete, persistent, 2 mm long. Ovary terete, 1.5 mm. Flowers comparatively small for the size of the plant, non-resupinate, the sepals purple-red, the veins pale yellow, the petals red, slightly pale red at the apex, the lip pinkish, the anther yellow. Sepal s, glabrous, carinate, margins smooth, the dorsal sepal triangular, 5 mm long, 2 mm wide, 3-veined, slightly convex, connate to the lateral sepals for 1 mm, the lateral sepals connnate 3 mm into an ovate, concave, bifid synsepal 5 mm long, 2.5 wide, each 2-veined, the apices attenuate, acute. Petals, densely long-ciliate, antrorse, transversely bilobed, 0.5 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, the upper lobe broader, oblong, sub-obtuse, lower lobe narrowly oblong, acute. Lip, bilaminate, fused to the column almost at middle of it, the blades glabrous, narrowly oblong 2.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, the bases rounded, apices acute with 1–2 conspicous cilia, connectives broadly oblong, appendix pubescent, narrowly linear, uncinate and in contact with the stigma, 0.5 mm long. Column terete, 1 mm long; the anther and stigma apical. Anther cap cucullate, 2-celled. Pollinia 2, obpyriform. Capsule not seen.

Etymology:—The name of this species is in reference of their petals with the canine teeth of the Mammalia genus Odobenus , the walrus.

Distribution and habitat:—Up to now this species is only know from one locality, in the high mountains of Magdalena (Chachapoyas), Peru. The plant grows as an epiphyte forming dense colonies on the base of trees and lower branches, in very humid cloud forest, at about 2,800 m elevation.

Comments:— Lepanthes odobenus is similar to the Ecuadorian Lepanthes golbasto Luer & Hirtz , because both present a subdense, successively several-flowered, loose raceme with purple-red flowers. However, Lepanthes odobenus , can be easily distinguished from by its larger habit, marginally entire leaves (vs. shortly ciliate), marginally smooth sepals (vs. ciliate or papillose), and slender, glabrous, 2 mm long, apically 1–2 long-ciliate blades of the lip (vs. ovate, pubescent, 1 mm long, marginally ciliate blades).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lepanthes odobenus Damian & B.T.Larsen. A. Habit. B. Flower. C. Dissected flower. D. Lip and column, ventral view; lip ventral view dissected from the column. Drawn from the holotype by Greta Damian P.

FIGURE 4. Flowers of Lepanthes. A. Lepanthes pseudoprofusa. B. Lepanthes odobenus. C. Lepanthes peruviana (Photographs by A. Damian).