Koellensteinia graminea (Lindl.) Reichenbach (1856: 323)

Thiago E. C. Meneguzzo, José F. A. Baumgratz & Cássio Van Den Berg, 2015, Taxonomic studies in the Aganisia complex (Orchidaceae, Zygopetalinae), Phytotaxa 238 (1), pp. 1-39 : 19-20

3.5. Koellensteinia graminea (Lindl.) Reichenbach (1856: 323) .

Maxillaria graminea Lindley (1836 : sub t. 1802). Promenaea graminea (Lindl.) Lindley (1843a : misc. 13). Aganisia graminea (Lindl.) Bentham (1881: 321) , nom. illeg. Aganisia graminea (Lindl.) Brown (1882: 866) . Aganisia graminea (Lindl.) Nicholson (1884: 35) , nom. illeg. Type:—GUYANA. Demerara: S. loc., January 1835, Lowe sub Messers. Loddiges s.n. (lectotype, designated here, K-L 867170!, isolectotype W-R 38116 only fragment in packet on right!). Fig. 6 B

Koellensteinia elegantula Schlechter (1920: 161) . Type:—COLOMBIA. Valle del Cauca: River Dagua, Forest of Poreto, 1877, Lehmann 8153 (neotype, designated here, NY 1546483!, isoneotype AMES 14655!). The original type was destroyed: COLOMBIA. Cauca: S. loc., s.d., M. Madero s.n. (type B†). syn. nov.

Koellensteinia graminoides Bennett & Christenson (1994: 37) . Type: — PERU. Loreto. Iquitos, May 1965, Bennett 1483 (holotype USM), syn. nov.

Etymology:— From Latin, gramineus, with leaves shaped like a grass.

Selected material examined:— BRAZIL. Amapá: Icomi, 1 September 1961, s. leg. 50637 (IAN). Amazonas: Upper Rio Negro basin, Rio Dimiti, 12 May 1948, Schultes & López 9911 (AMES, HB, IAN). Bahia: Porto Seguro, 6 April 1994, Carvalho et al. 4497 (CEPEC, G, NY). Pará: Moju, 22 March 1976, Bouças & Monteiro 18 (HB, IAN, SP). COLOMBIA.Amazonas: Trapecio Amazónico, 28 January 1969, Plowman et al. 2381 (AMES). Bolívar: 28 December 1983, Juncosa 1120 (NY). Chocó: Andagoya, 17 January 1970, Lutz & Nelson s.n. (R). ECUADOR. Esmeraldas: Eloy Alfaro, 6 September 1993, Palácios & Tirano, 11182 (AAU, NY). Napo: Coca, 23 March 1978, Jaramillo 159 (NY). Pastaza: Montalvo, 17 April 1979, Løjtnant & Molau 13500 (AAU). Sucumbios: Estación Científica Cuyabeno. 15 July 1992, J. Jaramillo 14815 (NY). Reserva Faunistica Cuyabeno, 11 March 1990, Balslev et al. 97228 (AAU, NY); Sacha Lodge, 5 June 1995, Clark et al. 1205 (NY). FRENCH GUIANA. Mont Chauve: 14 April 1997, Cremers & Crozier 14973 (NY). GUYANA. Assakatta: 18 September 1923, de la Cruz 4275 (NY). Cuyuni-Mazaruni: Meamu Creek, 14 March 2007, Redden 5639 (NY). Mahaica-Berbice: Barabara, 23 August 1921, de la Cruz 1033 (NY). Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo: Acarai Mountains, 12 March 1994, Henkel 5142 (NY). PERU. Loreto: Maynas, Distrito Iquitos, Río Nanay, 30 March 1976, Revilla 456 (AAU, NY). TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. Trinidad: Paria Road, 15 January 1955, Herklots s.n. (AMES). VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Cerro Aracamuni, 23 July 1959, Wurdack & Adderley 43595 (AMES, IAN). Bolívar: Raúl Leoni, 29 November 2005, Diaz 7980 (VEN).

Distribution:— Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Brazil: Amazonas, Amapá, Bahia, Pará. TDWG code: 81 TRT-OO 82 FRG-OO GUY-OO VEN-OO 83 CLM-OO ECU-OO PER-OO 84 BZE-BA BZN-AM BZN-AP BZN-PA.

Diagnostic characters:— Koellensteinia graminea differs from other species of the genus in being small (up to 40 cm tall) with grass-like leaves (up to 0.5 cm wide) and an inflorescence always shorter than the leaves.

Nomenclatural note:— Some researchers argued (e.g. Königer 2004, 2005, 2007, Buzatto et al. 2011) that Schlechter’s posthumous illustrations published by Mansfeld (1923 –1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934) are elective types for the specimens lost at B. There is no indication in any part of Mansfeld’s texts that these reproductions were based on original material used by Schlechter to describe the new taxa (as defined by McNeill et al. 2012: art. 9.3) or any additional material studied after their publication (pers. comm. K.N. Gandhi and E. Hágsater). Assumptions about the type nature of these illustrations are speculation, and so lectotypifications are to be considered invalid, although could they assist in understanding Schlechter’s species concepts and also be a helpful guide for selection of a neotype. A herbarium specimen is selected as neotype for K. elegantula even though Mansfeld (1929: t. 57, n. 220) published an illustration regarded to be the same species.

Taxonomic note:— From our analysis of the illustration of Koellensteinia graminoides we concluded that it does not differ from K. graminea except in the slightly smaller lateral lobes. It was not possible to find other specimens with this character, and we agree with the statement by authors in the protologue that it could simply be a variant of K. graminea , and so we consider this name to be a synonym.

Common name:— Maak ‘arah ‘why (Guyana, kapóng, akawaian dialect, Edwards 1248), is a common name reported for first time.

Figures

FIGURE 6. A. Koellensteinia carraoënsis. B. Koellensteinia graminea. C. Koellensteinia hyacinthoides. D. Koellensteinia florida, plant in situ. E. Manually opened flower of K. eburnea. F. Flower. G. Plant in situ. H. Koellensteinia tricolor. A – C. By K. Senghas, available through Swiss Orchid Foundation at Herbarium Jeny Renz. D – E. Meneguzzo 861 (RB). F – G. Meneguzzo 973 (RB). D – G. By Thiago E. C. Meneguzzo. H. Pessoa 1152 (RB), by Edlley M. Pessoa.