CONTRIBUTIONS ON COLOMBIAN STANHOPEINAE 11- TOLIMENSIS A NEW SPECIESOF THE DEPARTMENT OF TOLIMA IN COLOMBIA

Günter Gerlach*

Abstract: the article describes Stanhopea tolimensis, a new species of the Dept. of Tolima in Colombia. It presents the floral fragran- ce of this species, comprising as particularity the substance methyl 2-methoxybenzoate in higher amounts. This substance is relatively seldom found in the floral fragrance of different Stanhopeinae.

Key words: Stanhopea tolimensis, Stanhopeinae, , Co- lombia, Dept. Tolima, floral fragrance, methyl 2-methoxybenzoate.

Several years ago I dedicated myself to the Stanhopeinae of Colombia, resulting in several new species that have not been described yet. The problem, as usual, was the difficulty to have access to additional material to evaluate the diversity of the species and this way prevent the event of producing a synonym of already known specie.

After finishing my participation in the "Mesoamerican Flora" and "Orchidacea- rum genre" I returned to research on Stanhopeinae of Colombia to make my knowledge and experience regarding this orchid sub-tribe available for the Co- lombian Catalog. Drowning and getting lost in the depths of this group with such a complex morphology and so difficult to describe and understand, here I try to describe a new specie of Stanhopea. After several years of work on this orchid group, I still believe that the taxonomy problem of Stenhopeinae can only be solved with a deep knowledge of the chemical composition of it floral fragrances; which attract pollinizers (male euglosids) during their search of their preferred substances. The integrity of the specie is defined this way, each specie has a different fragrance to attract their pollinizers.

• Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg Menzinger Str. 65 80638 München Alemania e-mail: [email protected]

150 ORQUIDEOlOGíA XXVI(2),2009 STANHOPEA TOLlMENSIS C. Cerlach spec. nov.

Differt ab omnibus speciebus generis Stanhopeae colombianae hypochilio dor- saliter, in medio transversaliter crenato, ergo bigibboso. Stanhopea costaricensis Rchb.f. et Stanhopea confusa G. Gerlach & Beeche etiam hypochilium bigibbo- sum habentes differentes dissimili odori florum sine Methylidi salicylate (salicyla- to de metilo) et non crescunt in Colombia.

Their difference from other species of the Stanhopea genus of Colombia for their hipoquilo with a transversal mark in the dorsal side, looking bigiboso from a side view. Stanohopea costaricensis Rchb.f. and Stanhopea confusa G. Gerla- ch & Beeche also have bigibose hipoquil, but they are different in their floral fragrance, which does not have methyl salicylate and beca use they do not grow in Colombia.

Type: Colombia, Dept. Tolima, Los Túneles, road to Tapias, surrounding areas of Ibagué, Rodrigo Escobar RE 8002, flowered in the intermediate nursery of the Munich-Nymphenburg / Germany Botanical Garden under number 96/4387 in march of 2001 UAUM). Clonotype with the same data if origin but another flowering date, [une of 2000 (M).

Epiphytic ; piriformal pseudobulbs, 6 cm high and 3.5 cm in diameter, with age marked lengthwise; strong leafs, subcoriaceous with a canaliculated peciole of 5.3 cm of length and 0.65 cm of diameter, sheet of 33 cm in length and y 11 cm width with 5 prominent nerves in the back side; attractive floration, of up to 9 flowers, 22 cm long, partially covered by several papiraceous bracts, these are 2 cm long, and 1.3 cm wide, the pedicelium including the ovary is 6.8 cm long, through the middle covered with a papiraceous bract that is light brown of 4.4 cm by 1.3 cm, yellow flowers with some brown spots in the sepals and pe- tals, dorsal sepal is 6 cm long, and 3.5 cm wide, slim and ovated, lateral sepals are oblicuously ovate, 5.3 cm by 3.4 cm, patent and slightly reflexed bonded by 1.8 cm, ligulated petals, with few spots, the undulated margin of 4.6 cm by 1.4 cm, reflexed, labella with yellow-orange hipoquil and with a dark oblonged ocular spot, the mesoquil and epiquil of a pale yellow to cream color, both with scattered reddish brown spots, hipoquil of 2.4 cm long and 1.9 cm wide at the height of the cavity, the aperture of the cavity is almost squared, bigibose from a lateral view, making a straight angle with the horns of the mesoquil, which are thick, curved inside, acute, 2.6 cm long and 0.7 cm wide, distance between the tips is 0.6 cm, epiquil is round with an apiculated tip, widely canaliculated in the middle.

Floral fragrance: The floral fragrance shows a clear dominance of methyl sa- licylate. This substance is especially important in the fragrance of Colombian Stanhopeas, while phenyl ethyl acetate is very common and typical in Mexican

ORQUIDEOLOGíA XXVI(2), 2009 151 species. Both countries have the highest diversity in this genus. Whitten & Wi- lIiams (1992) researched the fragrances of several Stanhopea species, but very few Colombian representatives were analyzed. The species with the highest methyl salicylate percentages were: S. candida Barb. Rodr. (88,5 - 93,2%), S. pa- namensis N.H. Williams & Whitten (73,3 -82,1%), S. anfracta Rolfe (2,6 - 6,6%), S. connata Klotzsch (3,9 - 9,3%), S. nigripes Rolfe (2,2 - 9,8%). AII these have a completely different floral morphology to the new specie presented herein. Therefore, the floral fragrance also seems to be very useful for taxonomy. The substance methyl 2- methoxybenzoate can be a characteristic substance for the specie. During a long experience gathering fragrances of different plants, we have found this substance methyl 2- methoxybenzoate in: Stanhopea ospinae Dodson 96/4387 (3.4%), Stanhopea ospinae 96/4386 (1.6%), Stanhopea spec. Venezuela (2.6%), Stanhopea shuttleworthii Rchb.f. 06/2260 Colombia / Boyacá (2.0%), Stanhopea schuttleworthii 98/3232 (1.7%), lindeniana sin no. (2%), Congora chocoensis Jenny 98/3210 (1%), Chysis bractescens Lindl. (0.2%), rodigasiana (Claes ex Cogn.) Dodson (0.2%). The highest number of the afprementioned species is reported for Colombia, outside the country there is only the Stanhopea specie of Venezuela, which supposedly is also new for science. And Chysis bractescens. We still do not know anything about the acti- vity of this substance for euglosids, experiments with methyl 2 methoxybenzoate inducements in the sites of these species would be greatly appreciated.

Chemical components of floral fragrance* Stanhopea tolimensis RE8002 a-Pinene 0,90 p-Pinene 0,20 Sabinene 0,10 Myrcene 1,30 Limonene 0,30 Eucalyptol 40,20 (E) -Ocimene 0,20 6-Methyl- 5-hepten- 2-one 0,30 trans-Linalool oxide (furanoid) 0,10 Cis-Linalool oxide (furanoid) 0,05 Linalool 0,05 Methyl benzoate 0,30 (E) -p-Farnesene 0,30 a-Terpineol 0,10 (E,E) -a-Farnesene 1,50

152 ORQUIDEOLocíA XXVI(2), 2009 Methyl salicylate 46,00 Geraniol 0,20 Benzyl alcohol 1,20 (E) -a-Farnesene epoxide 0,20 Methyl 2-methoxybenzoate 4,00 Ethyl (E) -cinnamate 1,00 Total 98,50

* Chemical compounds in order of their retention times on a polar column (DB-Wax).

Distribution: Right now there is no information on the distribution of the specie because it has only been found once. Supposedly this specie is common in the collections of local amateurs, for this reason it is very important to gather more data.

Etyrnology: The species is named after its place of collection, the Department ofTolima.

Literature

Whitten, W.M. & N.H. Williams 1992. Floral fragrances of Stanhopea (Orchida- ceae). Lindleyana 7(3): 130-153.

Aknowledgments

I want to thank Rodrigo Escobar R. (Medellín, Colombia) for his great help con- cerning plants and for giving me information about the locations of Colombian Stanhopeinae, Guillermo Misas, Andrea Niessen, Nicolas Pelaez, Juan Felipe Posada, Thomas Toulemonde, Francisco Vi llegas, and Juan Carlos Uribe (in al- phabetical order) for their discussion regarding these plants, Dr. Roman Kaiser (Givaudan Research, Dübendorf, Switzerland) fort he floral fragrance analysis and Dr. Franz Schuhwerk (Botanische Staatssammlung München, Germany) fort he translation of the Latin diagnosis.

ORQUIDEOLOGíA XXVI(2), 2009 153