Prescottia montana Barb.Rodr.

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 : 260

8. Prescottia montana Barb.Rodr. , Gen . Spec. Orchid. 1: 178, t. 485. 1877. [ Cogniaux 1895, Cogniaux 1907, Hoehne 1945, Pabst 1966, Pabst & Dungs 1975, Barros 1987, Sprunger 1996, Barros & Pinheiro 2004, Azevedo & van den Berg 2007b].

Type:— Barbosa Rodrigues’ original drawing (plate t.485) in the library of the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (lectotype selected by Azevedo & van den Berg 2007b). Fig. 22 .

Rupicolous or terrestrial herbs. Leaves 1(–2), green, basal, petiolate; petiole 8.0–9.0 cm long; blade 10.0–11.0 × 1.5– 2.0 cm, elliptic to lanceolate, green, apex acute, base attenuate, margin entire. Inflorescence 30–60-flowered; peduncle green 24.0–50.0 × 0.2–0.9 cm, cylindric; peduncle bracts 2–4, green, 15.0–40.0 × 5.0–6.0 mm, ovate, apex caudate; rachis green, 6.0–21.0 × 0.7–1.5 cm. Flower bracts green, 7.0–9.0(–12.0) × (2.0–)3.0–4.5(–5.6) mm, lanceolate to ovate, apex acuminate to caudate; flower yellow to green, erect; dorsal sepal revolute, 3.0–3.8(–5.1) × 1.4–1.5(–1.8) mm, oblong to triangular, apex acute to obtuse; lateral sepals adpressed to the lip, 4.0–4.5(–6.1) × 1.4–1.6(–2.0) mm, lanceolate to oblong, apex acute; petals revolute, 3.0–3.5(–4.5) × 0.6–1.0 mm, linear, apex obtuse to acute; lip green, 4.0–4.8(–6.6) × 3.0–3.7(–4.0) mm, inner surface glabrous. Column 1.0–1.2(–2.0) mm long, glabrous.

Distribution:— Brazil and Argentina. This species was described from material collected at Pedra Branca, Caldas, Minas Gerais State ( Barbosa Rodrigues 1877). It also occurs in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo ( Hoehne 1945, Pabst & Dungs 1975, Sprunger et al. 1996), Espírito Santo, Paraná, Santa Catarina ( Pabst & Dungs 1975, Sprunger et al. 1996), Bahia ( Azevedo & van den Berg 2007b, Bastos & van den Berg 2012), Goiás, and Rio Grande do Sul. In Minas Gerais, it was cited for Serra do Cipó ( Barros 1987) and Grão-Mogol ( Barros & Pinheiro 2004; Fig. 23 ).

Selected Specimens Examined:— ARGENTINA. Depto. Capital : sierra de Zapla, subida al co. Zapla, 13 April 1974, Cabrera 24954 ( LP) . BRAZIL. Bahia: Morro do Chapéu , Morrão, 11 November 2001, Borba 2070 ( HUEFS) . Espírito Santo: Castelo , Forno Grande, 15 August 2006, Azevedo 287 ( HUEFS) . Goiás: Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Chapada dos Veadeiros, GO 118, sentido Teresina de Goiás, 11 February 2002, Simões 1235 ( UEC) . Minas Gerais: Caldas, Serra da Pedra Branca , cume da serra, 04 April 2007, Azevedo 324 ( HUEFS) . Paraná: Palmeira , Col. Quero-Quero, 04 May 1952, Hatschbach 2772 ( MBM) . Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia , em direção a parte alta, trilha para o Rebouças, 02 April 2007, Azevedo 317 ( HUEFS) . Rio Grande do Sul: Porto Alegre , Vila Manresa / M. da Gloria, 03 September 1954, Orth s.n. ( PACA1705 ) . Santa Catarina: São José, Serra da Boa Vista , 02 February 1953, Reitz 5433 ( PACA) . São Paulo: Serra da Bocaina , alto da Boa Vista, 26 April 1951, Brade 20728 ( HUEFS, ICN, M, RB) .

Habitat:— This species grows on granitic substrates or in sandy soils, in campos de altitude (high elevation grasslands) and campo rupestre vegetation, 730–2,660 m.

Conservation Status:— Not endangered.

Etymology:— Probably named for the place where the type specimen was collected at the summit of a mountain.

Notes:— Prescottia montana has petiolate leaves similar to P. stachyodes . However, it is easily recognized by it conical inflorescence, a single lanceolate leaf and yellow-greenish flowers with the lateral sepal adpressed to the lip.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Prescottia montana. Drawn from fresh material. A. Habit. B,C. Flower. B. Front view. C. Lateral view. D. Floral bract. E. Perianth parts, clockwise from top: lip, dorsal sepal, petal, lateral sepal. F,G. Column with pollinarium in place. F. Ventral view. G. Dorsal view. H. Pollinarium (Azevedo 324).

FIGURE 23. Distribution of Prescottia montana.