Specklinia vittariifolia (Schltr.) Pridgeon & Chase (2001: 259)

Karremans, Adam P., Bogarín, Diego, Pupulin, Franco, Luer, Carlyle A. & Gravendeel, Barbara, 2015, The glandulous Specklinia: morphological convergence versus phylogenetic divergence, Phytotaxa 218 (2), pp. 101-127 : 120-123

Specklinia vittariifolia (Schltr.) Pridgeon & Chase (2001: 259) .

Basionym: Pleurothallis vittariifolia Schlechter (1923a: 26) .

Type :— COSTA RICA. San Jerónimo, 1,350 m, Flowered June 1921, C. Wercklé 117 (holotype, B, destroyed; lectotype, AMES 28807 !, selected by Pupulin (2010); illustration of type, AMES 28807 !)

Epiphytic, caespitose, ascending, erect herb to 4.5 cm tall. Roots fibrous, flexuous, glabrous, to 1 mm in diameter. Stem abbreviated, terete, to 3.5–9.0 mm long, completely concealed by a papyraceous, subancipitous, acute sheaths to 3 mm long. Leaf narrowly linear, up to 35 × 1.5–3.0 mm, minutely and irregularly emarginate at apex, the mid-vein protruding abaxially into a small apicule, gradually tapering toward the base into a deeply conduplicate petiole, subcoriaceous. Inflorescence borne laterally from the base of the leaf, without an annulus, successively single flowered, up to 4.0– 4.5 cm long, glandular; peduncle terete, to 3.0 cm long, with 1 distant, glandular, terete bract, 3 mm long. Floral bracts infundibuliform, glandular, broadly ovate, acute to subacuminate, 2.5 mm. Pedicel terete, glandular, 5 mm long, persistent. Ovary subclavate, with low, irregularly crenulate crests, 1.5–2.0 mm long, green. Flowers up to 4, reddish-orange, developed in succession. Sepals fleshy, densely glandulose on the outer surface; dorsal sepal lanceolate-elliptic, 3-veined, acute, the base semi-hyaline, flushed with orange along the veins, the distal two thirds reddish-orange with occasional transparent spots, 7.5–9.0 × 2.0–3.0 mm; lateral sepals narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate, subfalcate, 3-veined, 7.5–9.0 × 3.5–4.5 mm, connate for about three quarters of their length, the base saccate, membranaceous-hyaline, the apex acute. Petals reddish-orange, small, ligulate-falcate, 3.5–4.0 × 1.7–1.9 mm, 2-veined. Lip reddish-orange, small, longitudinally arched-convex in natural position, thinly articulate with the column foot by a hyaline claw, sagittate to oblong when expanded, obtuse, 4.5 × 1.0 mm, provided with a pair of acute, sub-trapezoid lateral lobes from just below to just above the middle, margin dentate-erose, especially apically. Column dark-red, arched, terete and slender at the base, 3.5 mm long without the foot, provided with membranous wings serrulate along the margins, the apex prolonged into a deeply cucullate, lacerate clinandrium; column foot, stout, fleshy, 1.0 mm long. Anther cap deeply cucullate, ovate, crested, 2-celled. Pollinia 2, obovate-complanate, minutely hooked at the base. * NOTE: Description based on AK 2945 and IC1111.

Additional materials: — COSTA RICA. San José: Vázquez de Coronado, Jesús, Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, Sendero La Botella, 10°09’33.9”N 83°57’14.8”W, 702 m, bosque muy húmedo tropical transición a premontano, epífitas en bosque secundario y primario, Karremans, Bogarín & Fernández 2943 (JBL-spirit, D6069!). Idem, Karremans, Bogarín & Fernández 2945 (JBL-spirit, D4898!, D5959!; Fig. 1f , 2d & 12 ). Limón: Pococí, Guápiles, Buenos Aires, Cuenca río Santa Clara, faldas del Volcán Turrialba, 10°05’25,96’’N 83°45’39,33’’W, 1,190 m, 1 October 2013, Chinchilla 1111 (JBL-spirit!). Pococí, Guápiles, Cariari, Gerson Villalobos legit, Karremans 5944 (JBL-spirit, D6100!). Limón: Guápiles, Río Corinto, sendero paralelo al Río Corinto y riberas del mismo, 10°19’09’’N 83°56’10’’W, 500 m, Chávez 52 ( MO!). Guácimo, Pocora, La Argentina, camino a la catarata del río Dos Novillos, 10°06’07.71” N 83°39’28.74” W, 591 m, bosque muy húmedo tropical transición a premontano, 25 November 2013, Karremans, Bogarín & Villalobos 6026 (JBL-spirit!). Heredia: La Selva, 1 October 1985, Atwood 85-74 ( USJ!; SEL!). La Selva, on tree fall on SSE, 2 October 1985, Atwood 85-81 ( SEL!). La Selva, on cacao along SOC of Annex, 4 October 1985, Atwood 85-103 ( SEL!). La Selva, on tree fall on SSE, 5 October 1985, Atwood 85-123 ( SEL!). La Selva, 6 October 1985, Atwood 85-127 ( USJ!; SEL!). San José: Zona Protectora La Cangreja, Santa Rosa de Puriscal, Bosque primario en la márgenes del Río Negro, 09°42’28”N 84°23’35”W, 400 m, 20 October 1992, Morales & Jiménez 891 ( CR!). Costa Rica, without specific locality, Lent 1762b ( CR!; SEL!). EL SALVADOR. Departamento Chalatenango, entre Dulce Nombre de María y San Fernando, km 12, a 1,200 m, Clason sub. Hamer 309 ( SEL!; illustration by Hamer (1974)!). Cerro Campana, behind Ahuachapan-Ataco, alt. 1,400 m, 12 June 1975 ( SEL!). MEXICO: Chiapas, Municipio Acacoyagua, Mt. Madre Vieja, 15.450401 N 92.877612W, 1,000 m, Matuda 2532 ( MEXU; SEL!). Municipio Escuintla, Mt. Ovando, 15.39083 N 92.6025 W, 935 m, Matuda 28541 ( MEXU; AMO, illustration!). Municipio La Concordia, Finca Custepec, trail NW from Finca, 1–3 km along trail, 15.73333 N 92.73333 W, cloud forest, 1,180 m, Hamshire 1244 ( MEXU). PANAMA: Bocas del Toro road, Los Gutiérrez to [Cerro] Pinola. Cultivated at Selby Botanical Gardens, SEL 78-455 ex Williams, August 1985, Christenson 1326 ( SEL!).

Etymology: —The name alludes to the very long, thin leaves, which is reminiscent of species of the fern genus Vittaria .

Distribution: —Known from Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. In Costa Rica and Panama it is found mostly in the Caribbean lowlands, from 400 to 1,190 m elevation. In Mexico and El Salvador it is found at higher elevations, from 1,000 to 1,400 m ( Fig. 6 ).

Notes: — Aside from a sterile fragment of the plant and an accompanying sketch of the type kept at AMES, nothing else remains of the type material of Specklinia vittariifolia . The specimen was supposedly collected in San Jerónimo , Moravia , Costa Rica. We were unable to locate any such plants in the area during a series of field trips, and doubt it did indeed come from there. It is more likely that Wercklé actually collected this plant a few km North-East along the same road, where this species is abundant. There are more collections from Wercklé that, like this species, are typically found on the warm and humid Caribbean watershed , but were allegedly collected in San Jerónimo , a dryer and colder locality in the Central Valley ( Pupulin 2010). The illustration of the type and description are not very specific to any of the species of this group ; however, the plant fragment and illustration clearly depict a species with long and narrow leaves and an inflorescence that barely reaches the length of the leaf.

Specklinia vittariifolia is locally abundant in certain areas in the Costa Rican Caribbean at mid to low elevations. It has been confused with the similar S. glandulosa in herbaria and living collections, however, it can be easily distinguished by the long leaves and relatively short inflorescences which in living material rarely exceed the leaf. The flower is conspicuously downward twisted, and its segments noticeably spreading. Although frequently appearing single flowered, the species can produce up to 4 flowers in tight succession on a single inflorescence, however only one is developed at a time. The flowers are relatively large, with sepals exceeding 7.5 mm long and a lip of 4 mm long, with a pair of conspicuous sub-trapezoid lateral lobes.

The herbarium sheet of Roy Lent ’s number 1762 kept at CR represents a mix of both S. alajuelensis and S. vittariifolia . We cannot be certain if both were collected together or if they come from different localities. However, the locality corresponds perfectly with that of other material of S. alajuelensis , and we have therefore chosen to give that material the number Lent 1762a. The two CR specimens with long, narrow leaves, and all of those kept at SEL are S. vittariifolia , and are given the number Lent 1762b, with unknown locality.

Figures

FIGURE 1. The glandulous Specklinia species. A. S. alajuelensis 1 (Karremans 3265). B. S. alajuelensis 2 (Bogarín 2895). C. S. chontalensis (Pupulin 6543). D. S. gersonii (Karremans 6025). E. S. glandulosa (Karremans 6306). F. S. vittariifolia (Karremans 2945). Photographs by A.P. Karremans.

FIGURE 2. Comparison of the habits and flowers of species of the glandulous species of Specklinia. A. S. alajuelensis 1 (Karremans 3265). B. S. gersonii (Karremans 6025). C. S. glandulosa (Karremans 6306). D. S. vittariifolia (Karremans 2945). Scale bar = 1 cm. Photographs by A.P. Karremans.

FIGURE 6. General distribution map of the glandulous species of Specklinia. Edited by D. Bogarín.

FIGURE 12. Specklinia vittariifolia (Schltr.) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase. A. habit. B. flower.C. dissected perianth. D. column and lip, lateral view. E. lip. F. anther and pollinaria. Drawn by A.P. Karremans & L. Oses from Karremans 2945 (JBL-spirit).