Palmorchis misas-urretae Szlach. & Baranow, 2013

Szlachetko, Dariusz L. & Baranow, Przemysław, 2013, New species of Palmorchis Barb. Rodr. (Orchidaceae) from Colombia, Candollea 68 (1), pp. 105-113 : 109-112

4. Palmorchis misas-urretae Szlach. & Baranow , spec. nova

( Fig. 4 ).

Typus: COLOMBIA. Chocó: N de la Costa Pacifica , s.loc., VII.1988, G. Misas Urreta 5 (holo-: COL [ 520156 ]!).

Similar in habit to P. carlos-parrae , but differs in the pubescent upper surface of the lip, the obtrullate hypochile, and the subquadrate, truncate epichile.

Leaves large, petiolate; blade 19 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate. Inflorescence a panicle 12 cm long, probably much longer, with 1 basal branch, many-flowered, apical. Flowers large for the genus, openning in succession, sepals furfuraceous, petals woolly pubescent on the outer surface, sparsely pubescent on the inner surface. Floral bracts 30 mm long, linear-lanceolate, acute, stiff, furfuraceous. Pedicel and ovary 23 mm long, furfuraceous. Dorsal sepal 32 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, linear-oblanceolate, acute, 7-nerved. Petals 33 mm long, 3 mm wide, linear in the lower two-thirds, obliquely ovate-lanceolate above, somewhat undulate, subobtuse, nerves 5, apically branching. Lateral sepals 33 mm long, 3 mm wide, linear-oblanceolate, falcate, subacute, 5-nerved. Lip 34 mm long in total, pubescent on the inner surface, with a keel running from the base to the apex, 3-lobed; hypochile 26 mm long, 12 mm wide, obtrullate above a linear claw, densely pubescent near the base and along keel; epichile 8 mm long, 6 mm wide, subquadrate, truncate at the apex, undulate along margins. Gynostemium 19 mm long, wholly glabrous.

Etymology. – Dedicated to Guillermo Misas Urreta, the author of Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudio, Chocó, Colombia who was the first to suggest that this plant could be a species new to science, and moreover is the collector of the type specimen.

Ecology. – Terrestrial.

Distribution. – Known only from the type collection.

Notes. – Only the apical part of plant remains in the type material. This species is similar to P. carlos-parrae in its habit, but the lip is pubescent on the upper surface, with keeled main nerve. The keel ranges from the base to the apex of the lip. The hypochile is obtrullate in general outline, the epichile is subquadrate, with truncate apex and undulate margins. This species could be related to P. pubescens Barb. Rodr. and P. prospectorum Veyret.

Figures

Fig. 4. – Palmorchis misas-urretae Szlach. & Baranow: A. Dorsal sepal; B. Lateral sepal; C. Petal; D. Lip. [Misas Urreta 5, COL] [Drawn by A. Król]