Pleurothallis gigiportillae A.Doucette & J.Portilla, 2016

Doucette, Alfonso, Portilla, Jose & Cameron, Kenneth M., 2016, Ten new taxa in the orchid subtribe Pleurothallidinae (Epidendroideae, Epidendreae) from Ecuador, Phytotaxa 257 (3), pp. 230-248 : 238

Pleurothallis gigiportillae A.Doucette & J.Portilla , sp. nov. ( Figs. 6 , 11F )

Type:— ECUADOR. Without specific locality, flowered in cultivation at Ecuagenera Orchid Nursery, 4 September 2015, Doucette 0303 (holotype: HA).

Diagnosis: The species is most similar to Pleurothallis imperialis Luer (1975: 186) but differs in the free column foot and pubescent apex of the lip.

Epiphytic, caespitose herbs, roots 1 mm in diam. Stems 140–420 5 2–5 mm, enveloped by 2–3 tubular, papery sheaths 15–75 5 205 mm. Leaves sessile, cordate, 140–160 5 50–75 mm. Inflorescence fasciculate, protected by a papery bract 20 mm long; peduncle 2 5 1 mm, with a tubular bract before the pedicel, 6.0 5 2.5 mm; the pedicel 11–16 5 2 mm; ovary 7 5 2 mm, dorsal sepal ovate with 15 veins, yellow suffused with purple towards the base, concave, 22–25 5 12–15 mm; synsepalum ovate with 16 veins, purple, flat, 18–20 5 13 mm; petals oblong, the apex acute, purple, spiculate, 11–12 5 4 mm; lip heater-shaped, purple, apex pubescent and bent downwards, 5 5 4 mm; column purple with a shiny, greenish, bilobed stigma, 2 5 3 mm.

Etymology:— Named for Gigi Portilla, daughter of Jose Portilla, president of Ecuagenera.

Notes:— Pleurothallis gigiportillae also appears to belong to Pleurothallis s.s. based on the similarity to P. cardiantha (solitary flower produced at the base of a cordate leaf and transversely bilobed stigma). The species is unusual in Pleurothallis subsection Macrophyllae -Fasciculatae Luer (1988a: 133) in having a free column foot, which may be unique in the section. It is difficult to hypothesize which species P. gigiportillae is most closely related to given the free column foot and pubescent lip. Superficially, the species resembles P. imperialis based on the size and habit of the plant the colour of the flowers. The new species keys to Pleurothallis megalorhina Luer & R.Escobar (1996: 71) in Luer (2005), but differs in the free column foot and the pubescent, detrorse apex of the lip.

Pleurothallis gigiportillae represents one of at least five species attributable to Pleurothallis subsection Macrophylla-Fasciculatae ( Pleurothallis adventurae Karremans & Bogarin (2011: 112) ; P. bogarinii Pupulin & J.D.Zuniga (2007: 690) ; P. neobarbosae J.M.H.Shaw (2014: 77) ; P. oscarii Archila & Chiron (2011: 201) ; P. silvae-pacis Karremans (2011: 156)) described since the key to the species ( Luer 2005) was published. The species is not similar to any of the species listed by International Plant Names Index (2016) published between 2005 and 2015.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Pleurothallis gigiportillae. A. Habit, drawn to 5 cm scale. B. Flower. C. Dorsal sepal. D. Lateral sepals. E. Petal. F. Lower surface of lip. G. Upper surface of lip. H. Flower with petals and sepals removed. All drawn to 1 mm scale.

FIGURE 11. A. Masdevallia constricta f. glabra. B. Masdevallia pachyura f. pardinella. C. Masdevallia posadae f. rugosepala. D. Acianthera nikoleana. E. Pleurothallis papillingua. F. Pleurothallis gigiportillae. G. Pleurothallis cardiostola f. magnidraba. H. Zootrophion machaqway. I. Stelis glaucus. J. Trisetella portillae.