Prescottia glazioviana Cogn.

Azevedo, Cecília Oliveira De, Berg, Cássio Van Den & Barros, Fábio De, 2014, A revision of Prescottia (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae, Cranichideae), Phytotaxa 178 (4), pp. 233-286 : 253

4. Prescottia glazioviana Cogn. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 3(4): 261. 1895. [ Cogniaux 1907, Hoehne 1945, Rizzini 1954, Pabst & Dungs 1975, Azevedo & van den Berg 2007 a, Azevedo et al. 2012].

Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro:summit of Órgão Mountains , March 1841, Gardner 5884 (lectotype K-L!; isolectotype K!(Benthamianum), K! (Hookerianum), BM!, R! (selected by Azevedo & van den Berg 2007a).

Terrestrial herbs. Leaves 1(–2), basal, petiolate; petiole 2.0– 5.5 cm long, green; blade 7.0–14.0 × 3.0– 6.8 cm, elliptic to oblong, deep green, apex acute, base rounded, margin entire. Inflorescence 10–20-flowered; peduncle 10.0–17.0(–28.0) × 0.2–0.5 cm, cylindric, green; peduncle bracts 2–3, 17.0–40.0 × 6.0–10.0 mm, ovate to lanceolate, apex acute; rachis (5.0–)7.0–9.0(–15.0) × 0.8–1.2 cm, green. Flower bracts 5.0–10.0 × 1.0– 3.5 mm, green, ovate, apex acuminate to acute; flower erect, green; dorsal sepal reflexed, 3.0–4.0 × 2.0– 2.5 mm, oblong, green, apex obtuse; lateral sepals adpressed to the lip, 5.0–5.5 × 2.0– 2.5 mm, ovate to oblong, green, apex obtuse to acute; petals adpressed to the lip, 4.0–4.5 × 0.7–1.5 mm, trullate, green, apex truncate; lip 3.5–5.0 × 2.7–4.0 mm, green, inner surface glabrous, outer surface densely minute-papillose. Column 1.5–2.0 mm long, glabrous.

Distribution:— Prescottia glazioviana is restricted to Brazil, known originally only from Rio de Janeiro but recently also found in Minas Gerais ( Azevedo et al. 2012; Fig. 17 ).

Selected Specimens Examined:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Alto Caparaó, Parque Nacional , 02 April 2003, Leoni 5280 ( GFJP, HUEFS) . Rio de Janeiro: Serra dos Órgãos, s.d., Gardner 5884 ( K, K-L, BM, R) .

Habitat:— In Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, P. glazioviana grows on sandy soils, in campos de altitude (highelevation grasslands), 1,700–2,400 m.

Conservation Status:— This taxon has been recorded at no more than three localities and is only known from five herbarium specimens. Prescottia glazioviana seems to be a rare species; however, more extensive fieldwork is required to determine precisely the conservation status and distribution of the species ( Azevedo et al. 2012).

Etymology:— The name honours Auguste François Marie Glaziou (1828–1906), a French botanical traveller and landscape architect who collected in Brazil, 1861–1895, and was director of the “Passeio Público”, Rio de Janeiro ( Stafleu & Cowan 1976).

Notes:— Prescottia glazioviana is a rare and poorly known taxon. Azevedo et al. (2012) presented a complete morphological description and illustration, showing for the first time several diagnostic features lacking in the original description, e.g. the lip apex constricted with a prominent and undulate margin. The species is also recognized by its unusual truncate petal apex.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Distribution of Prescottia glazioviana, P. leptostachya, P. mucugensis, P. ostenii, P. phleoides and P. spiranthophylla.