Eltroplectris paranaënsis Engels & E.C.Smidt, Engels & E. C. Smidt, 2023

Engels, Mathias Erich, Silva-Pereira, Viviane Da & Smidt, Eric De Camargo, 2023, Eltroplectris paranaënsis: a new species of Spiranthinae (Orchidaceae) from the nebular Atlantic Rain Forest, Phytotaxa 609 (2), pp. 115-123 : 117-120

Eltroplectris paranaënsis Engels & E.C.Smidt , sp. nov. ( Figures 2–3 )

Type: — BRAZIL. Paraná: Campina Grande do Sul, Serra do Mar , fl., 27 April 2022, M. E . Engels , L . Passos , T. F . Santos & M . Klingelfus 9669 (holotype UPCB!) .

Similar to E. janeirensis ( Porto & Brade 1940: 33) Pabst (1974: 469) but differs from this by the narrow elliptical-lanceolate leaves; pauciflorous inflorescence; externally glabrous flowers; oblanceolate petals and central lobe of the lip with entire margins.

Description:— Humicolous acaulescent herbs, 26–27 cm tall. Roots 2.7–4.8 × 0.3–0.4 cm, appearing fasciculate, cylindrical, pilose. Leaves pseudo-petiolate, rosulate; pseudopetiole 3.4–4.5 × 0.2–0.3 cm, conduplicate; blade 8.5– 10.2 × 1.4– 1.3 cm narrowly elliptical-lanceolate, dark green, discolored, base acute and decurrent, margin entire, apex acute. Inflorescence racemose, erect, 1–2-flowered; peduncle 23.9–24 × 0.15–0.2 cm, cylindrical, pubescent in apical portion, green; rachis ca. 1.6 × 0.1 cm, cylindrical, pubescent, green; peduncle bracts 2.1–2.7 × 0.4–0.5 cm, amplective, narrowly triangular to narrowly lanceolate, glabrous, green, margin entire, apex acute; floral bracts 1.5–1.6 × 0.2– 0.4 cm, elliptical-lanceolate, glabrous, green, base acute, margin entire, apex acute. Flowers resupinate; pedicellate ovary 2.3–2.5 × 0.3 cm, glabrous, light-green; dorsal sepal ca. 1.7 × 0.7 cm, lanceolate, concave, base acute, margin entire, apex acute, glabrous, light green; lateral sepals ca. 2.0 × 0.5 cm (free portion, excluding the calcar), narrowly lanceolate, slightly asymmetrical, base long decurrent on the ventral portion of the ovary and forming a calcar, light-green, glabrous, margin entire, apex acute; calcar 1.5–1.7 × 0.2 cm, cylindrical, free, white, formed from the free part of the column foot, base of the lateral sepals and base of the lip; petals ca. 1.5 × 0.6 cm, asymmetrical, oblanceolate, base acute, margin entire, apex obtuse, white with light green apex; lip ca. 2.5 × 0.75 cm, unguiculate, white with light green apex; unguicule ca. 9 × 3.5 mm, oblong; blade trilobed; medial portion ca. 9 × 7.5 mm, oblanceolate; lateral lobes rounded; apical lobe ca. 7 × 4 mm, oval-lanceolate, base rounded-obtuse, margin entire, apex acute. Column 1 × 0.2 cm (excluding column foot), flattened ventrally, above rostrate and cucullate, whitish; column foot 1.5–1.7 cm long, flattened, with oblanceoloid unicellular glandular trichomes on the ventral side; rostellum ca. 4 mm long, long narrowly apiculate, acute. Anther ca. 4 × 2 mm, narrowly lanceolate, base cordate, margin sinuate, apex acute, brownish. Stigma bilobed, lanceolate, confluent at the apex, ca. 2 × 1 mm, white. Pollinarium with two narrowly oblanceolate, whitish pollinia, ca. 5 mm long; viscidium ca. 0.7 mm long, deltoid, apex sub-rounded, whitish hyaline. Fruits not seen.

Distribution and ecology: —Known only by the population in the type locality, where it occurs as a humicolous in the understory litter of the Upper Montane Dense Ombrophilous Forest at an elevation of 1200 m. Found flowering in April, during autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the Paraná State, where the species was discovered.

Taxonomic discussion: —Among the congeners, E. paranaënsis is morphologically related to E. janeirensis and E. schlechteriana ( Porto & Brade 1940: 32) Pabst (1974: 469) , due to the presence of leaves at anthesis; light-green and white flowers; floral display with wide, open petals; trilobed lip and the shape of the central lobe (i.e. deltoid, ovate to lanceolate and not fimbriate). Eltroplectris paranaënsis can be distinguished from E. janeirensis by its smaller habit (26–27 cm total height vs. 75–80 cm); narrow, smaller leaves (narrowly elliptical-lanceolate, base acute, 8.5–10.2 × 1.4– 1.3 cm vs. ovate-subrounded, base rounded, ca. 15 × 10.5 cm), ovate petals (vs. oblanceolate); lip with apical lobe proportionally shorter than the median portion (1/3 vs. 1/1) and lip with smooth apical lobe margin (vs. little denticulation). It differs from E. schlechteriana in its smaller habit (26–27 cm total height vs. 50–70 cm); narrow, smaller leaves (narrowly elliptical-lanceolate, base acute, 8.5–10.2 × 1.4– 1.3 cm vs. ovate to ovate-lanceolate, base rounded, ca. 13–20 × 6–9 cm); lip with apical lobe proportionally shorter than the median portion (1/3 vs. 1/1) and lip with smooth apical lobe margin (vs. little denticulation).

Additionally, E. paranaënsis is similar to E. assumpcaoana Campacci & Kautsky (1999: 108) and E. kuhlmanniana ( Hoehne 1944: 133) Szlachetko & Rutkowski (2008: 164) due to the presence of leaves at anthesis and the habit with relatively narrow leaves (i.e., narrowly elliptical-lanceolate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate). However, E. paranaënsis can be distinguished from E. assumpcaoana by the short pseudopetiole (3.4–4.5 cm long vs. 12–16 cm long), number of flowers per inflorescence (1–2 flowers vs. ca. 9 flowers), flower coloration (light green and white vs. brown and white), lip with apical lobe proportionally shorter than the median portion (1/3 vs. ca. 1/1) and by the shape of the apical lobe (oval-lanceolate vs. large-linear). Eltroplectris paranaënsis differs from E. kuhlmanniana by the short pseudopetiole (3.4–4.5 cm long vs. 10.5–17 cm long), reduced number of flowers (1–2 vs. ca. 9), by the length of the calcar (proportionately shorter than the ovary + pedicel vs. the same length to longer) and by the shape of the apical lobe of the lip (oval-lanceolate vs. subovate-obcordate).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Eltroplectris paranaënsis—A. Habit. B. Detail of the pilosity of peduncle apex and rachis of the inflorescence. C. Flower in lateral view. D. Flower in diagonal view. E. Perianth flattened, clockwise, dorsal sepal, petal, lateral sepal. F. Lip flattened. G. Column in lateral view. H. Column in ventral view. I. Detail of the pilosity of column foot. J. Pollinarium. Drawing by Engels from M.E. Engels et al. 9669.

FIGURE 3. Eltroplectris paranaënsis—A. Habit. B–D. Inflorescence. B. Frontal view. C. Diagonal view. D. Lateral view. E. Flower in dorsal view. F. Pollinarium. Photos by Engels from M.E. Engels et al. 9669.