SANTANDERELLA, A COLOMBIAN NEW GENUS IN THE ONCIDIINAE (ORCHIDACEAE) Pedro Ortiz v. * Abstract: Santanderella, a new genus of orchids from Colombia, in the subtribe oncidiinae is proposed, with the type species, Santan- derella amado-rinconiana. Key words: Orchidaceae, Oncidiinae, new genus Santanderella, new species Santanderella amado-rinconiana, Colombia, plant taxo- nomy. For the Orchid show held by the Asociación Bogotana de Orquideología on [uly 2-5,2009, Mr Orlando Rincón, an orchid grower from Bucaramanga, Santander, brought a small orchid plant from Santander (Colombia), collected by the young Jonathan Amado, in Floridablanca, near Bucaramanga (Santander, Colombia). This plant had been collected previously by Orlando Rincón in the same area. The plant cau~ht our attention, not because of its size or the extraordinary beauty of its flowers" but due to its peculiar characters. Unfortunately during the days of the show the flowers did not open, and so it was not possible to come to a sure identification. Orlando left us the little plant so that we might be able to study it at ease, a task I immediately undertook. With the aid of friends, good photo- graphers, we managed to assemble a good documentation of the characteristic features of this orchid. Above all, it was clear that it belongs to the subtribe On- cidiinae (sensu R. Dressler, 1981) and among this large subtribe it shows affinity with the genera Notylia and Macroclinium. The genera of this group have been defined and characterized in different ways, as can be seen in the study publis- hed by F. Pupulin (1997)1, to which we refer for further information. The affinity with Notylia can be seen in the following characters: Pontificia Universidad javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. [email protected] PUPULlN,F., 1997. Una sinossi del genere Macroclinium (Orchidaceae: Oncidiinae) in Caesiana 9: 1-20. 174 ORQUIDEOlocíA XXVII(2), 2010 - Plants epiphytic, caespitose, with unifoliate pseudobulbs. - Leaves conduplicate (dorso-ventrally complanate) - Inflorescence a many flowered raceme. - Anther dorsal, rather large. - Pollinia two with a thin and elongated stipe. - Stigma ventral, as a narrow, longitudinal slit. If we had to take these as the sole characters that define the genus Notylia, the plant would have to be assigned to Notylia. However, the careful study of it led me to the condusion that other characters have to be taken into consideration, in particular, the structure of the column and the pollinia, in addition to the cha- racters of the sepals and petals, and specially of the lip. The sepals and petals of the majority of the species of Notylia are quite characteristic: the lateral sepals are coalescent forming a synsepal with free apices. However, this is not general, since there are several species that have free sepals. More common and charac- teristic of Notylia is the shape of the lip, like an arrowhead, with a more or less long nail and a triangular blade. The plant we are dealing with has flowers that do not open fully (which seems to be a general condition of all the plants seen by the collectors), with narrow sepals and petals, and a lip that is different from all the "notyliiform" lips so far seen. It is very narrow, at the base has a pair of small rounded lobules, then turns narrow again, and then widens a little, with a subacute apex. There is no callus. It reminds to a certain point of the flowers of Macroclinium. It shares a series of characters with Macroclinium, a genus that was formerly indu- ded in Notylia, like having a dorsal anther, but differs from it by possessing con- duplicate (dorso-ventrally complanate) leaves and by the structure of the column and the pollinia. Although most species of Macroclinium have a characteristic inflorescence consisting of a long and slender pedunde and a terminal raceme, which is more or less capitate, there are a few species with an elongated raceme (as is the case of Macroclinium confertum Pupulin; see Pupulin, op. cit. 12). What is most remarkable in this plant is the column and the pollinia. The column is relatively short, with a basal part terete, which apically widens into two obtuse, apically irregular, wings, which ventrally merge together forming an acute angle. There is a dinandrium with a rather high border and inside the cavity the roste- lIum stands out, which is thick and high at the base and extends forward into a sharp point. The column does not bend backwards as in most Notylia and Ma- croclinium species, but is rather straight. On the ventral part of the rostellum the stigma can be seen as a narrow slit. The anther is similar to those of Notylia and Macroclinium. But the pollinia are most remarkable. There are two pollinia, as in ORQUIDEOLOGíA XXVII(2), 2010 175 all of the Oncidiinae, but unlike the pollinia of Notylia and Macroclinium, they are not circular and small or complanate, but are large, elongated and canalicula- te. This type of pollinia, is not found in any other orchid species that I know of.2 Fortunately, we now have other instruments for the study of living organisms: molecular analysis. Although this method is only being gradually implemented, there are already procedures that allow us to study plants (and other living be- ings) with new perspectives: that is, with the study of the bearers of the genetic information, namely, the DNA. The Institute of Human Cenetics at the Universi- dad Javeriana, which has ample experience in the study of human genetics, has enlarged its scope to the study of other living organisms. So it understook the study of the DNA of this plant. The methods that were utilized and the steps they took will be amply presented elsewhere. So here will suffice to inform that the re- sults of this study confirmed the phenotypical observations and showed that this plant is best accomodated in a genus different from Notylia and Macroclinium, although akin to both. For these reasons, I came to the conclusion that a new genus has to be establis- hed to accomodate this new species. Although establishing monotypic genera is not ideal, we cannot stretch out the limits of the genera to force incongruous elements into established genera. On the other side, within this group this is not the only monotypic genus (equally monotypic are Notyliopsis, Sarmenticola, Se- egeriella and Schunkea). SANTANDERELLA P. Ortiz, gen nov. Inter genera subtri8us Oncidiinarum (sensu R. Dressler) distinguitur sequentibus characte- ribus: plantae epiphyticae, pseudobulbis unifoliatis, caespitosis, foliis conduplicatis, inflo- rescentiae racemosae pluriflorae, pendentes, floribus sat parvis, sepalis similibus, laterali- bus Iiberis, petalis angustis, label/o angusto, exunguiculato, basi dilatato, deinde angustato et in medio apicali parum dilatato, apice acuto. Columna recta, basi terete, bialata, alis obtusis, anthera dorsali, sat magna, rostel/o carnoso in medio clinandrii prolongato in apicem acutum, pol/iniis elongatis, laminaribus, canaliculatis, affixis stipiti longo, viscidio rotundato, stigmate strictissimo, longitunali. Type: Santanderella amado-rinconiana P.Ortiz, in hoc loco. Description: a longer description is made with the description of the only spe- cies so far known. 2 See Dressler 1981: 63-66. 176 ORQUIDEOLOcíA XXVII(2), 2010 Etymology: the generic name is derived from the name of the Department of Santander (Colombia), where the type species was found.' Distribution: so far known, found only in the Department of Santander (Colom- bia). SANTANDERELLA AMADO-RINCONlANA P.Ortiz, sp. nov. Unica species adhuc nota huius generis distinguitur characteribus supra notatis pro genere. Folia carnosa, conduplicata. Racemus pendens, 12 floribus, parum apertis, flavescentibus purpureo maculatis. Type: COLOMBIA: Santander, Floridablanca, km 20 of the road from Bucara- manga to Berlín, 1850 m, coll. and cult. Jonathan Amado, [uly 2009, sub P.Or- tiz 1335 (Holotype, Herbarium of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá: HPUJ); another specimen: same general locality, 1800 m, coll. and cult. O. Rin- cón, July 2009, sub P.Ortiz 1329 (lsotype: HPUJ.). Description: Plants epiphytic, caespitose, pseudobulbs oblong-ovoid, sulcate, 10 mm x 3.5 mm, with a basal sheath at each side, one-Ieaved; leaf narrow, slightly falcate, conduplicate, fleshy, the transversal section open V-shaped, 55 mm x 5 mm. Inflorescence a hanging, many-flowered raceme, with 12 flowers. Flowers not fully open, greenish-cream colored, with purple linear spots along the central vein of the lateral sepals, at the base of the petals and on the lip. Dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, with subacute apex, concave, the basal third more profoundly concave, 9 mm x 2 mm; lateral sepals free from the base, slightly falcate, oblong-elliptic, acute, 9 mm x 2 mm. Petals narrowly elliptic, acute, slightly falcate, 8 mm x 0.7 mm. lip narrow, basally with rounded lobules, then tapering towards the middle, and the apical half more broadly elliptical with an acute apex, 8 mm long x 2 mm of maximum width. Column short, the base terete, apically enlarged forming two obtuse wings, that merge ventrally into an acute angle, anther relatively large, the external side minutely papillose, clinan- drium with raised border, from the cavity the rostellum, thick and raised, projects itself forward into a sharp pointed apex; pollinia two, elongated, laminar and canaliculate, yellow, affixed to a stipe whith a triangular apex, then thin, 4 mm long, the viscidium rounded, orange colored. Column ventraly marked by the wings that merge into an acute angle, under the rostellum the stigma is seen as 3 Although the generic name Santanderia (1862) has already been used for a genus that is considered today to be a synonym of Magnolia, the name Santanderel/la is sufficiently different to avoid any possible confu- sion. ORQUIDEOLocíA XXVII(2), 2010 177 a very narrow, longitudinal slit. Seed pods subglobose, ca.