Prescottia leptostachya Lindl., Bot. Reg.

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 : 257

6. Prescottia leptostachya Lindl., Bot. Reg. 22: t. 1916. 1836. [ Cogniaux 1895, Cogniaux 1907, Hoehne 1945, Pabst & Dungs 1975, Toscano de Brito 1995, Toscano de Brito 1998, Toscano de Brito & Queiroz 2003, Azevedo & van den Berg 2007b, Bastos & van den Berg 2012].

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: in fruticetis sabulosis, s.d., Salzmann s.n. (holotype K-L!; isotypes K!; P!; W!). Fig. 20 .

Terrestrial herbs. Leaves 2–3, rosulate, petiolate; petiole 1.5–2.0 cm long, green; blade 4.0–5.5 × 2.0– 2.5 cm, lanceolate, silver-green, apex acute, base obtuse, margin entire. Inflorescence 35–40-flowered; peduncle 22.0–28.0(–38.0) × 0.1– 0.4 cm, cylindric, green; peduncle bracts 3–4, 5.0–15.0 × 2.0–6.0 mm, ovate to lanceolate, green, apex acute; rachis 8.0–20.0(–25.0) × 0.5–0.8 cm, green. Flower bracts 3.0–4.0 × 1.4–1.7 mm, ovate, green, apex acute to acuminate; flower erect, green; dorsal sepal revolute, 2.0–2.5 × 0.5–1.0 mm, oblong to ovate, green, apex obtuse; lateral sepals reflexed with distal part adpressed to ovary, 3.0–3.5 × 0.5–1.0 mm, oblong to ovate, green, apex obtuse; petals revolute, 2.0–2.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, linear, obtuse, green; lip 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.0 mm, green, inner surface glabrous. Column 0.8–1.0 mm long, glabrous.

Distribution:— Prescottia leptostachya is endemic to Brazil. It was originally described from Bahia ( Lindley 1836) and also cited from Rio de Janeiro ( Hoehne 1945, Pabst & Dungs 1975), but we could not find specimens from the latter. In Bahia, it has been found in the Chapada Diamantina , where it was cited from Rio de Contas ( Toscano de Brito 1995), Lençóis ( Toscano de Brito 1998), Catolés ( Toscano de Brito & Queiroz 2003), Mucugê ( Azevedo & van den Berg 2007b), Morro do Chapéu ( Bastos & van den Berg 2012) and restinga on the eastern coast ( Fig. 17 ).

Selected Specimens Examined:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Mucugê, Parque Municipal de Mucugê, confluência com Morro do Capa Bode , 26 November 2002, Azevedo 164 ( HUEFS) .

Habitat:— This species grows in sandy soils on dunes or in organic matter gathered between the rocks in campo rupestre vegetation, 0–1,700 m.

Conservation Status:— Not threatened.

Notes:— Prescottia leptostachya is characterized by silver-green leaves with entire margins, long inflorescences with a rachis 8–20 cm long, and small flowers ca. 2.5–3.5 mm long. Morphologically, P. leptostachya flowers are similar to those of P. plantaginifolia , from which the former may be distinguished by its leaves, petiolate and silvergreen vs. sessile to pseudopetiolate and green. Furthermore, in P. plantaginifolia the dorsal surface of the column is covered by trichomes, whereas in P. leptostachya it is completely glabrous.

We found six Salzmann’s specimens annotated as Prescottia leptostachya in herbaria: one each at K-L, P, and W and two at K, one stamped with “Herbarium Hookerianum 1867” and the other with “Herbarium Benthamianum 1854”. The materials at K, K-L and W have the same handwriting on the label, corresponding exactly to the protologue of the species. The P material is typewritten as “ Bahia, Salzmann”. There is also a specimen at G, annotated in Salzmann’s handwriting with almost the same information given in the protologue: “ Bahia, in fruticetis sabulosis aridis” and additional information indicating year (1831) and collection number (536). However , because the last has different information about the year and collection number, we have not considered it as an isotype. The holotype is the specimen housed in Lindley’s herbarium, as Lindley is the author of the species. On the same sheet is a line drawing made by Lindley .

Figures

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

FIGURE 20. Prescottia leptostachya. Drawn from fresh material. A. Habit. B,C. Flower. B. Front view. C. Lateral view. D. Lip. E. Perianth parts, clockwise from top: lip, dorsal sepal, petal, lateral sepal. F,G. Column with pollinarium in place. F. Dorsal view. G. Ventral view. H. Pollinarium (Azevedo 164).