Specklinia alajuelensis Karremans & Pupulin, 2015

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 : 108-110

Specklinia alajuelensis Karremans & Pupulin , sp. nov.

Type: — COSTA RICA. Alajuela: San Ramón, Piedades Sur, San Miguel (La Palma). Camino a San Bosco, a orillas y dentro de un pequeño bosque secundario, 10º07’18.8”N 84º31’13.1”W, 1,062 m, 21 december 2010, A. P. Karremans, J. A. J. Karremans & M. Contreras Fernández 3265 (holotype, JBL-spirit, D4704!; Fig. 1a , 2a & 4 ) .

The species is similar to Specklinia glandulosa (Ames) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase , but can be distinguished by the wider leaves, the well spaced pedicels of the multi-flowered inflorescence (vs. fascicled and 1 to few flowered), and the smaller flowers.

Epiphytic, caespitose, ascending, erect herb to 2.0–3.0 cm tall (excluding the inflorescence). Roots fibrous, flexuous, glabrous. Stem abbreviated, terete, to 0.2–0.9 cm long, completely concealed by papyraceous, subancipitous, acute sheaths to 0.5 cm long. Leaf narrowly obovate to linear, up to 18–27 × 2.5–3.5 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 apex of the stem, without an annulus, successively single flowered, up to 3.0– 4.5 cm long, glandular; peduncle terete, to 4 cm long, with 1 distant, glandular, terete bract, 2–3 mm long. Floral bracts infundibuliform, glandular, broadly ovate, acute to subacuminate, 2 mm long. Pedicel terete, glandular, 13–15 mm long, persistent. Ovary subclavate, with low, irregularly crenulate crests, 1 mm long, green. Flowers up to 6 per inflorescence. Sepals fleshy, densely glandulose in the outer surface; dorsal sepal lanceolate-elliptic, 3-veined, acute, the base semi-hyaline, flushed with orange along the veins, the distal two thirds greenish, with reddish-orange veins, 5.0–6.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm; lateral sepals narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate, subfalcate, 3-veined, 5.0–6.0 × 2.5–3.5 mm, connate for about half their length, the base saccate, membranaceous-hyaline, the apex acute, the veins strongly carinate abaxially. Petals small, ligulate-falcate, acute, 2.0–2.5 × 1.0 mm, 2-veined. Lip reddish-orange, small, longitudinally arched-convex in natural position, thinly articulate with the column foot by a hyaline claw, the blade sagittate to sub-triangular when expanded, obtuse, 2.5 × 0.8 mm, provided with a pair of acute, triangular lateral lobes at about the middle of the blade, margin dentate-erose, especially apically. Column dark-red, arched, terete and slender at the base, 1.5 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, 0.7 mm long. Anther cap deeply cucullate, ovate, 2-celled. Pollinia 2, obovate-complanate, minutely hooked at the base. * NOTE: Description based on AK 3265, AK 3266 & FP8470.

Additional materials (morph 1):— COSTA RICA. Alajuela: San Ramón, Piedades Sur, San Miguel (La Palma). Camino a San Bosco , a orillas y dentro de un pequeño bosque secundario, 10º07’18.8”N 84º31’13.1”W, 1,062 m, 21 December 2010, Karremans, Karremans & Contreras Fernández 3265 (JBL-spirit, D4704!) ; Idem, Karremans et al. 3266 (JBL-spirit; D6078!, D5956!, D4721!) ; Idem, Karremans et al. 3268 (JBL-spirit; D6074!). San Ramón , Santiago , road to Berlín , Balboa , 10º02’30”N 84º29’30”W, 1,230 m, premontane moist forest, epiphytic on trees along the roadside, 30 May 2013, Pupulin, Bogarín, Díaz & Fernández 8469 (JBL-spirit) ; Idem, Pupulin et al. 8470 (JBL-spirit; D6126!). Idem , Pupulin et al. 8471 (JBL-spirit; D5873!). San Ramón , Santiago , camino a Balboa , 10°02’24.76”N 84°29’29.88”W, 1,222 m, epífitas en árboles aislados, bosque pluvial premontano, 30 May 2013, Bogarín, Díaz, Fernández & Pupulin 10193 (JBL-spirit, D5867!). San Ramón, Piedades Sur, Potrerillos, 4 km E. of Piedades Sur, 1,235 m, 22 June 1969, Lent 1762a ( CR!). San Ramón, Piedades, alt. 1,100 m, 21 June 1925, Brenes 1285 (78) ( CR!). San Ramón, Piedades, alt. 1,100 m, 29 november 1925, Brenes 1431 (244) ( CR!). San Ramón, camino de Piedades, alt. 1,025 m, 5 July 1924, Brenes 2213 (32) ( CR!). San Ramón, el Socorro, alt. 1,050 m, 25 July 1924, Brenes 2237 (84) ( CR!). Sine loc., ca. 1867, Endrés 52 ( W!) .

Additional materials (morph 2):— COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Upala, Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja, road to Colonia Blanca by Quebrada Rancho Grande, 700 m, 7 July 1978, Todzia 354 ( CR!). San José: Vazquez de Coronado, Braulio Carrillo Nat. Park. Along sendero La Botella, 10º10’00”N 83º57’20”W, 750 m, 21 September 1990, Ingram & Ferrell 558 ( MO; CR!; SEL!). Limón: Pococí , Guápiles , 1 km después del puente sobre el Río Corinto en dirección a Guápiles , 10°12’40.9”N 83°52’38.5” W, 300 m, bosque muy húmedo tropical, epífitas en bosque secundario, 15 June 2006, Bogarín , Dressler , Gómez-Laurito & Pupulin 2895 (JBL-spirit!; Fig. 1b & 5 ). Grecia , San Isidro , Coope Victoria , rio Rosales , del Puente 1 km al Sur , Alfaro & Rodríguez 8 ( Epidendra !). Guanacaste: Tilarán, Hno Jorge de la Cruz legit, Karremans 5501 (JBL-spirit, D5148!) . NICARAGUA. Rio San Juan: between Río Santa Cruz and Caño Santa Crucita, La Palma 11°02–04’ N 84 °24–26’ W, elevation 40–60 m ; tall evergreen forest, 30 November–2 December 1984, Stevens, Montiel & Robleto 23460 ( SEL!; MO!). Zelaya [Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur]: along road to Colinia Yolaina, Colonia La Esperanza , etc., ca. 1.3 km SE of intersection with road between Nueva Guinea and Colonia Verdun, immediately upriver from bridge over Caño Sardina ; ca. 11°40’N 84°26’W, elev. ca. 180–200 m; disturbed evergreen forest and river banks, 11–12 February 1978, Stevens & Krukoff 6294 ( MO!). Zelaya [Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte]: 0.5–1.5 km from Plantel El Salto along road to Bonanza , slipe above Río Pis Pis ; ca. 14°03’N 84°37’W, elevation ca. 140 m, tall evergreen forest on steep slopes and pastures, 16 December 1980, Stevens & Krukoff 18814 ( MO!) .

Etymology: —The name refers to the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica, where the type and most other specimens were collected.

Distribution: —Known only from Nicaragua and Costa Rica ( Fig. 6 ), where it is found growing between 300– 1,235 m in elevation.

Notes:— The first to collect this species was probably A. Endrés. Endrés 52 was collected in Costa Rica, without a more specific locality. Nevertheless, a vast majority of his collections come from San Ramón, Alajuela, where this species is common. Luer also listed Endrés 46 under Specklinia glandulosa , however we believe that number 46 is actually Specklinia acicularis ( Ames & Schweinfurth 1930: 21) Pridgeon & Chase (2001: 256) . The latter has similarly thin leaves but lacks the glandular ornamentation on the inflorescence and exterior of the sepals, and has a dark purplish to brownish coloration of the flower.

The typical form of this species (morph 1) has relatively short leaves, which are shorter than the multi-flowered inflorescence. The floral segments are typically not spreading. The species is common around San Ramón in Alajuela, at elevations between 1,025 –1,235 m. Plants with similar characteristics (morph 2) are found in the Caribbean lowlands, at elevations between 300– 750 m. Aside from the obvious ecological differences they can also be set aside morphologically, and could represent a different species.At this time we prefer to include them here until more evidence can be presented.

In Costa Rica, S. alajuelensis and S. vittariifolia have been confused with each other in herbaria. The first can be easily recognized from the second by the leaves that are less than 10 times as long as wide (while the second have extremely narrow leaves that can be more than 15 times longer than wide). The inflorescence of S. alajuelensis produces a lax inflorescence of an extremely slow succession, and always becomes longer than the leaf. The inflorescence of S. vittariifolia does not exceed the leaf length even though it can also produce several flowers over time; the flowers are born closely together making the inflorescence sub-fascicled.

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 4. Specklinia alajuelensis Karremans & Pupulin. A. habit. B. flower. C. dissected perianth. D. column and lip, lateral view. E. anther and pollinaria. Drawn by A.P. Karremans & L. Oses from Karremans 3265 (JBL-spirit).

FIGURE 5. Specklinia alajuelensis Karremans & Pupulin. A. habit. B. flower. C. dissected perianth. D. lip. E. column and lip, lateral view. F. column, ventral view. G. anther with pollinaria. H. pollinaria. Drawn by E. Winkel from Bogarín 2895 (JBL-spirit. L-spirit).

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