THREE NEW ORCHID SPECIES AND TWO NEW NAMES FROM COLOMBIA Pedro Ortiz V.* Abstract: Three new orchid species from Colombia are here presen- ted and new names for two species of Telipogon (formerly Stellila- bium) are published. Key words: Orchidaceae, Cyrtidiorchis, Peristeria, Stellilabium, Teli- pogon, Colombia, plant taxonomy. Three new orchid species newly discovered in Colombia CYRTIDIORCHIS GERARDI P. Ortiz, sp. nov. Type: COLOMBIA: Norte de Santander, Silos , La Laguna, ca. 2700 m. Collected by Enrique Poveda, March 2007, cultivated by Luis E. Alvarez. P. Ortiz 1286. (Herbarium of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá [HPUJ]). Other mate- rial seen: Plant collected by Gerardo Buff at Umpalá, Santa Bárbara (Santander), ca, 1800 m. Pressed in August 2005. P. Ortiz 1249 (HPUJ). Description: Plant epiphytic, pseudobulbs globose, 2-3 cm long x 1-1.5 cm broad, 1- or 2-leaved, disposed at a distance of 2.5-3 cm along a strong rhizome covered by scarious sheaths, left by the falling leaves, terminating in oblong-ellip- tic, 3.5 cm long x 1 cm broad, obtuse, leaves. Inflorescences 1-flowered, from the stem near the pseudobulb or at a distance from it. Pedicel 1.5 cm long, with 3 adpressed bracts. Flowers olive green, with soft purple-brown hues in the veins at the base of sepals and petals. Lip purple-brown at the base, the rest yellow. Sepals oblong-ovate, acute, the margins of the apical part of the dorsal one in- volute, 20 mm long x 5 mm maximum broad; petals oblong-acute, 13 mm long x 4 mm broad, all sepals and petals 5-veined. Lip joined to the column-foot by a narrow base, enlarged up to 7 mm and then gradually tapering, with an obtuse * Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá - Colombia. [email protected] 128 ORQUIDEOLOGÍA XXV(2), 2008 apex; lip pubescent at the base, the rest glabrous, with a longitudinal rather sha- llow callus, which is double at the base and then triple, with 2 laminar, thin and elevated, calli at the center. Column green with purple strips at the base, with a short foot, narrow at base, enlarged at the apex, clinandrium not prominent, stigma triangular. Etymology: Dedicated to Sr. Gerardo Buff (in its Latin form Gerardus), who first discovered and cultivated the plant. Distribution: Up to the present it has been found only in the northern section of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, Departments of Santander and Norte de Santander. Pollination: The pollinator is not known, but several flowers were pollinated and we hope being able to grow the plants from seed. Commentary: It is interesting that a new species of an infrequent genus appears. The most similar species is Cyrtidiorchis rhomboglossa (Lehm. & Krzl.) Garay, but the aspect of the flowers is quite different and the details of the lip, well presented in Dunsterville’s drawing (Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated), show the differences well. The genus was originally published by Schlechter as Cyrtidium, but it was later found that this name was preoccupied by a genus of fungi, and S. Rauschert changed it to Cyrtidiorchis in 1982. Literature: GARAY, L.A. 1969. Sinopsis del género Cyrtidium, Schlechter, en Orquideología 4(1): 3-11. DUNSTERVILLE, G.C.K. & GARAY, L.A. 1972. Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated 5, Cambridge, Mass. ORTIZ, P. 1990. Cyrtidiorchis S. Rauschert, en Orquídeas Nativas de Colombia I., ed. R. Rescobar R., Medellín, pp. 104-105. ROMERO-GONZÁLEZ, G.A. & CARNEVALI FERNÁNDEZ-CONCHA, G. 2000. Orquídeas de Venezuela. Una guía de campo ilustrada. Caracas. SCHLECHTER, R. 1924. Beiträge zur Orchideenkunde von Colombia, Reperto- rium specierum novarum regni vegetabilis, Beih. 27, Dahlem bei Berlin, p. 178. ORQUIDEOLOGÍA XXV(2), 2008 129 PERISTERIA ESPERANZAE P. Ortiz, sp. nov. The latest species of the genus Peristeria to be decribed was Peristeria cochlearis Garay (Orquideologia 7[4]: 199, fig. 75. 1973 Dec. 1972). This genus comprises only 11 species, according to the Monocot Checklist of Kew. It is noteworthy that a new species appears in Colombia. Type: COLOMBIA: Guaviare, Calamar, ca. 200 m. Plant cultivated by Esperanza Mejía de Moreno at Armenia (Quindío). June 16, 2006. P. Ortiz 1263 (Herba- rium of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá [HPUJ]). Other material from the same collect seen in the garden of Arturo José Carrillo, at Villeta (Cund.). Description: Plant epiphytic, with an abbreviated rhizome, pseudobulbs pyri- form, 6 cm long x 2.5 cm broad, terminated by 3 leaves. Leaves narrow and acute, plicate, up to 72 cm long x 6 cm broad. Inflorescence basal, a short, 3-flo- wered raceme, pedicels ca. 3 cm long, bracts 1 cm long, subacute. Flowers large and showy, background white covered by many purple dots. Sepals united at the base, the dorsal ovate, subacute, 2.8 cm long x 1.4 cm broad near the base, the laterals similar to the dorsal but shorter (2.3 x 1.8 cm), more longly united at the base. Petals oblong-elliptic, subacute, 2.5 cm long x 1 cm broad; lip concave, hypochile with rounded, erect, 1 cm long x 0.9 cm tall lobes, mesochile ligulate, narrow, ca. 1 cm long, from which arises a straight ligule to which is movably connected the epichile convex, elliptic, provided with two transverse cushions, near the interior margin. Column 1.5 cm long, with a narrow base, cylindrical, apically enlarged with 5 mm long wings, apically with an undulated margin. An- ther not seen (figures 1 and 2). Etymology: dedicated to Sra. Esperanza Mejía de Moreno, of Armenia (Quindío), enthusiastic orchid grower, who grows this plant successfully. Distribution: Plains of the amazonian basin of Colombia. Comemntary: The discovery of a new species of Peristeria in Colombia is an important event, since it enriches the orchid flora of Colombia with a species of a showy genus. Peristeria esperanzae is distinguished from all other species of the genus by having very open flowers, the other species having a very concave and closed shape. Undoubdtedly in this area, quite inaccessible now, numerous species new to science are hidden. 130 ORQUIDEOLOGÍA XXV(2), 2008 Literature: HOOKER, J.D. 1831. Botanical Magazine, 58, t. 3116 (Publication of the genus). FOLDATS, E. 1970. Orchidaceae en T. Lasser, Flora de Venezuela, XV/4, Caracas, pp. 170-181. GARAY, L.A. 1973 (Dec. 1972). Orquídeas colombianas nuevas o críticas. Decena VIII. Orquideología 7(4): 199, fig. 75. ORTIZ, P. 1991. Peristeria Hook., en Orquídeas Nativas de Colombia 3, ed. R. Escobar R., Medellín, pp. 404-405. TELIPOGON ALVAREZII P. Ortiz, sp. nov. Type: COLOMBIA: Cundinamarca, Fómeque, 2400 m. Plant collected by Luis E. Alvarez, Sept. 23, 2007, P. Ortiz 1287 (Herbarium of the Pontificia Universi- dad Javeriana, Bogotá [HPUJ]). Description: Plant a twig epiphyte, small, 3-4 cm tall, roots flexuous, rather thick, glabrous. Stem abbreviated, with few basal, fleshy, leaves, up to 24 mm long x 8 mm broad, oblong-elliptic, the apex acute. Inflorescences two, apical, few-flowered (1-2 flowers developped, 1 embrionary), rachis terete, bracts con- cave, acute, 5 mm long. Flowers small, yellow with purple veins. Sepals yellow- green, oblong-ovate, the apex acute, 1-nerved, the vein externally prominent, 4 mm long x 2 mm broad near the base. Petals ovate with acute apex, with 5 purple veins, without reticulation, 6 mm long x 4 mm broad; lip similar to the pe- tals, a little broader, with 5 purple veins, the central with short transversal veins, without a callus, 6 mm long x 5 mm broad. Column purple, short, the base tere- te, the apex enlarged, 3-lobed, with thick lobes, externally very shortly strigose, the lateral lobes trapeziform, the central subquadrate, with long hairs at the apex of the lateral lobes. Anther rounded, the apex indented. Stigma subquadrate, pollinia typical of the genus. Etymology: dedicated to its discoverer Sr. Luis Eduardo Álvarez. Distribution: Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, central zone. ORQUIDEOLOGÍA XXV(2), 2008 131 Commentary: This species is noteworthy mainly for two features: first of all due to its truly tiny size. No doubt it is the smallest-flowered Colombian Telipogon species, since the flowers have a transversal diameter of 13 mm. Secondly, the shape of the column is unique among the Colombian species of this genus, ha- ving a trilobed apex, with trapeziform lateral lobes and quadrate middle lobe, all fleshy, externally very shortly strigose. Telipogon vieirae Dodson & Escobar possesses in the column two wings that resemble airplane wings, but they differ completely from the lobes of T. alvarezii. The flower which most closely resem- bles this new species is the Costarican and Panamanian Telipogon parvulus C. Schweinf., also a small flowered species, as its name tells it, which also has a column with lateral wings, but possesses a very characteristic callus at he base of the lip and different venation. The original drawing of T. parvulus can be seen in the web, in the page of Harvard University (HUH Publications Index) and photos and drawing in Orquideología 17(2):100-102. 1987. Renaming of two species If the species previously assigned to the genus Stellialium are trasnferred to the genus Telipogon, as DNA anylisis suggests, it becomes necessary to give new na- mes to the following species. TELIPOGON NIGROPURPUREUS P. Ortiz, nom. nov. Bas. Stellilabium atropurpureum P. Ortiz, Orquideología 22(2): 127. 2002, non Telipogon atropurpureus D.W. Benn. & R. Fernández G., Publ. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Nacion. Mayor San Marcos, Bot. 36: 9. 1992. Syn. Telipogon ortizii N.H. Williams & Dressler, Lankesteriana 5(8): 169. 2005. nom. illeg. non Telipogon ortizii Dodson & R. Escobar, Orquideología 18(3): 242. 1993. TELIPOGON WILLIAMSII P. O RTI Z , MOM. NOV. BAS. Cordanthera andina L.O. Williams, Lilloa 6: 244.