Cleistes paranaensis (Barb.Rodr.) Schltr., Arch. Bot.

Pansarin, Emerson Ricardo, Barros, Fábio De & Koch, Ana Kelly, 2021, Nomenclatural notes on species of Cleistes (Orchidaceae: Vanilloideae) described by João Barbosa Rodrigues, Phytotaxa 496 (2), pp. 179-188 : 185

7. Cleistes paranaensis (Barb.Rodr.) Schltr., Arch. Bot. São Paulo 1: 180. 1926.

Basionym:— Pogonia paranaensis Barb.Rodr., Gen. Sp. Orchid. 2: 268. 1882. Type: Brazil, Hab. dans les champs de S. Bento [São Bento] e Rincão das Pedras, dans la Province du Paraná. Fleurit en Javier , I.1880, Schwacke 94 (holotype R!). Fig. 4 .

Synonyms:— Pogonia bradeana Kränzl., Ark. Bot. 14(10): 4. 1915. Type: Brazil, [São Paulo:] In civitate São Paulo pr. Ipiranga in campis, I.1913, A.C. Brade 6226 (holotype SP!; isotype HB!). Cleistes paranaensis var. bradeana (Kränzl.) Hoehne, Fl. Brasilica 12(1): 218. 1940.

Cleistes paranaensis var. minor Hoehne, Fl. Brasilica 12(1): 218. 1940. Type, Brazil, São Paulo, São Paulo, Vila Ema , 1922, A. C . Brade 6226b (holotype SP!) .

Pogonia paranaensis var. major Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 16: 318. 1920. Type: Brazil. Parana: Villa Velha , in campo, flor, Febr. 1909, P. Dusén 10288 (isotype S!) .

Notes:—In the protologue, Barbosa Rodrigues (1882) designated Schwacke 94, collected in the state of Paraná, Brazil, as the holotype of Pogonia paranaensis . During this study, we found the holotype in the herbarium of the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (R). This specimen was used as the model for the illustration by Barbosa Rodrigues in Iconographie des orchideés du Brésil 1: t. 33B, which is deposited in the Library of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, cited as “Tab. 726” (then unpublished) in Barbosa Rodrigues’ Gen. Sp. Orchid. 2: 268. 1881, and copied and reproduced in color by Sprunger et al. (1996: 86).

Since flowers of Cleistes species are ephemeral, usually not lasting more than one day, this genus is poorly represented in herbaria ( Pansarin et al. 2012). As a consequence, many described species are mere variations of more common or widely distributed taxa. For example, C. libonii , a species widely distributed throughout the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest which shows a wide variation in color of the perianth and shape of the labellum. It was probably because of this variation that João Barbosa Rodrigues described four taxa that we consider to be synonymous with C. libonii . However, the characteristics associated with pollinators are quite conserved and are related to the attraction of large bees as pollinators ( Pansarin 2003, Pansarin et al. 2012). Historically, the taxonomy of Cleistes has been based mainly on the shape and size of the labellum (e.g. Hoehne 1940). This is a major problem in the taxonomy of Cleistes , because the shape of the labellum is the most variable intraspecific characteristic in the genus. This can be clearly noticed when studies on morphology of vegetative and reproductive structures are carried out at the populational level ( Pansarin et al. 2012). In addition, the use of molecular markers and integrative taxonomy—which includes interspecific crosses, breeding data, investigations on chemistry, cytology, and pollinators plus floral biology—are useful tools to elucidate the identity of closely related species ( Stuessy 2007). More recently, the use of DNA sequencing has been helpful in the identification and recognition of species, since sequence divergence is usually less between individuals of a species than among closely related taxa ( Herbert et al. 2004). In the case of Cleistes , comprehensive studies involving multiple data sources can be useful tools to help taxonomists with species identification in this poorly known genus.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Isotype of Pogonia paranaensis Barb.Rodr. deposited at the HB herbarium.