Gravendeelia Bogarín & Karremans, 2018

Bogarín, Diego, Karremans, Adam P. & Fernández, Melania, 2018, Genus-level taxonomical changes in the Lepanthes affinity (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae), Phytotaxa 340 (2), pp. 128-136 : 130

Gravendeelia Bogarín & Karremans , gen. nov.

Type: Pleurothallis chamaelepanthes Reichenbach (1855: 240) .

Diagnosis:— Gravendeelia is most closely related to Lepanthopsis . It can be easily distinguished from that genus by the long-prolific, pendent habit (vs. caespitose, rarely prolific, erect), the few-flowered inflorescence (vs. generally multi-flowered), the cupped flower with extremely long sepals (flowers flat, sepals and petals similar), the elongate lip with two central keels (vs. lip compact, with a basal glenion), the elongate column with a distinct foot (vs. column short, stout, footless), the incumbent anther and ventral, entire stigma (vs. apical anther and bilobed stigma). Morphologically, Gravendeelia is reminiscent of Tubella , however it can be distinguished by the pendulous plants, the hirsute ovary (vs. glabrous), the hirsute sepals (vs. glabrous), and the short column foot (vs. prominent).

Comments:— The only species currently known to belong to this genus is relatively common in Colombia and Ecuador, and is likely to represent a species complex in need of revision (the name bears two heterotypic synonyms at this time). The recognition of the novel genus Gravendeelia is highly supported in our analyses, the accessions of its only species formed a highly supported clade ( Fig. 1 ) (PP=1.0), sister to Lepanthopsis ( Fig. 1 ; P.P.: 0.98), and not closely related to any of the other species previously placed in Trichosalpinx . Treating Gravendeelia as part of a broadly defined Lepanthopsis is undesirable as it would result in an undiagnosable genus, whilst when kept separate they are easily recognizable.

Eponymy:— The name honors orchid evolutionary biologist Dr. Barbara Gravendeel, Leiden University and Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands, who has continuously supported these phylogenetic studies in the Pleurothallidinae .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic analysis based on Bayesian inference of the Lepanthes affinity (nrITS and plastid matK sequences) from more than one-hundred different species, taken from Bogarín et al.(in prep.).Terminals ending in triangles represent genera with multiple species and single terminals are monospecific genera (Draconanthes, Frondaria, Gravendeelia, Opilionanthe and Stellamaris). Photographs: A, B, D, F, J–K, L–N by D. Bogarín; C by S. Vieira-Uribe; E by Ecuagenera; G, H, I by W. Driessen.