Orleanesia yauaperyensis Barbosa Rodrigues (1891: 124)

Gonçalves, Gabriel F., Mauad, Anna Victoria S. R., Taques, Giuliana, Smidt, Eric C. & Barros, Fábio De, 2019, Molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of the genus Orleanesia (Laeliinae, Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae), Phytotaxa 392 (1), pp. 1-18 : 13-15

6. Orleanesia yauaperyensis Barbosa Rodrigues (1891: 124) ≡ Huebneria yauaperyensis (Barbosa. Rodrigues)

Schlechter (1925: 97). Type :— BRAZIL. Amazonas : Takakuera, s.d., J. B. Rodrigues s.n. (holotype RB lost). Lectotype

(designated here):—fig. B, tab. 2, vol. 4 of Rodrigues “Iconographie des Orchidées de Brésil ”, located at the Harvard

University Herbarium, reproduction printed in Sprunger (1996). ( Fig. 4 )

= Orleanesia peruviana Schweinfurth (1952: 148) . Type:— PERU. Loreto: Iquitos, November–December 1936, G. Klug 10021 (AMES, [Digital Image!]).

Epiphyte; pseudobulbs cylindrical, not stipitate, 8–31.5 cm long. Leaves oblong to oblanceolate, 3–18 × 0.7–2 cm, coriaceous, along the entire pseudobulb. Inflorescence in panicle, 14–32 cm long, lateral branches 1.5–3 cm long, flowers only in the upper portion of the branches. Flowers purple to vinaceous; dorsal sepal lanceolate, 0.7–1.2 × 0.2–0.3 cm, apex cuspidate, base sessile; lateral sepals lanceolate, falcate, 0.6–1.2 × 0.3–0.4 cm, apex cuspidate, base sessile; petals linear, apex acuminate, base attenuate, 0,6–1 × 0, 1 cm; lip obovate to oblong, 0.7–1.2 × 0.5–0.8 cm, apex retuse, base attenuate. Gynostemium 0.4–0.7 cm long, purple-spotted. Anther cordiform; pollinia 4, the inner ones larger than the outer ones. Ovary + pedicel 1.2–2.3 cm long. Fruits fusiform, papillose.

Phenology: —Flowers from August to December, but due to its successive flowers, this period can be extended until later months.

Distribution and habitat: —Amazon forest. Brazil: Amazonas; Peru. It also occurs in Venezuela according to Carnevali & Ramírez (2003) and Hokche et al. (2008) and in Colombia according to Ortiz Valdivieso et al. (2016) and the catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia (Carnevali et al. 2015). ( Fig. 3 ).

Nomenclature notes: — Orleanesia yauaperyensis is by far the most problematic species of the genus, especially due to a lack of information and the loss of its type material, which has subsequently resulted in taxonomic errors and misidentifications. An important example is the case of O. peruviana C. Schweinfurth (1952: 148) . In his protologue, Schweinfurth (1952) reported some differences between O. yauaperyensis and the plant he presented as O. peruviana , based on leaf quantity and width, leaf apex shape, and flower size. These characters, however, are considered variable within the genus, and thus inconsistent and unsustainable for justifying the proposal of a new species. The present analysis shows that O. peruviana cannot be distinguished from O. yauaperyensis , based on the original description and illustration of O. peruviana , together with the photograph of its holotype. Thus, we propose that O. peruviana be treated as a synonym under O. yauaperyensis .

Taxonomic notes: —This is a poorly known species that is seldom collected and often confused with O. mineirosensis . It can be distinguished from it by its cylindrical pseudobulbs with coriaceous leaves along its entire length, purple to vinaceous flowers and linear petals.

Conservation status: —Only four reliable herbarium records were found for this species, with many other analyzed plants having been incorrectly identified as O. yauaperyensis . These misidentifications compromise knowledge of the true geographical distribution of the species, thus making the evaluation of its conservation status difficult. Due to its EOO (115,405,395 km ²) and AOO (12,000 km ²), we classify the species as Least Concern (LC). Nevertheless, the species must be considered rare and in need of preservation.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Amazonas: Manaus , 15 August 1976, Braga 3356 ( INPA) ; Novo Airão , 06 October 1978, Madison PFE59 ( INPA) . PERU. Amazonas: Bagua , 02 Oct 1958, Hutchison 1541 ( AMES [Digital Image]) ; Loreto: Iquitos , November–December 1936, Klug 10021 ( AMES [Digital Image]) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Map of the geographic distribution of Orleanesia based upon herbarium specimens. Symbols accompanied by asterisk (*) indicate information extracted from previous publications.

FIGURE 4. Orleanesia yauaperyensis Barbosa Rodrigues. A. Habit. B. Inflorescence stem. C. Flower in frontal view. D. Details of perianth parts. E–F. Floral sheaths. G. Gynostemium posterior view. H. Gynostemium lateral view. I.Anther dorsal view.J.Anther ventral view. K. Pollinias (A.H. Krahl 359). Illustrated by A.H. Krahl.