Prescottia carnosa C.Schweinf., Fieldiana, Bot.

Azevedo, Cecília Oliveira De, Berg, Cássio Van Den & Barros, Fábio De, 2014, A revision of Prescottia (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae, Cranichideae), Phytotaxa 178 (4), pp. 233-286 : 243

1. Prescottia carnosa C.Schweinf., Fieldiana, Bot. 28: 173, 1951.

Type:— VENEZUELA. Bolivar: Ptari-tepui, Steyermark 59772 (holotype F!). Fig. 13 .

[ Schweinfurth 1967].

Terrestrial herbs. Leaves 3, basal to rosulate, long-petiolate; petiole 5.0– 9.2 cm long, rose-red; blade 4.7–5.3 × 2.3–3.0 cm, elliptic to ovate, deep green, apex acute, base truncate to rounded, margin entire. Inflorescence 30–35-flowered; peduncle 41.5 cm long, cylindric, rose-red; bracts 8–13, 10.0–30.0 × 5.0 mm, ovate, apex acute; rachis 8.5–11.0 × 1.3–1.5 cm, rose-red. Floral bracts 0.5 × 0.4 mm, ovate, apex acuminate; flower almost patent, tawny-yellow and salmon; dorsal sepal strongly revolute, 2.5–3.0 × 1.0– 1.2 mm, lanceolate-oblong to oblong, tawny-yellow and salmon, apex obtuse; lateral sepals strongly revolute, 3.2–3.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm, triangular-oblong, tawny-yellow and salmon, apex rounded; petals strongly revolute, 2.4–2.6 × 0.7–0.9 mm, linear, tawny-yellow and salmon, apex obtuse; lip 3.5 × 3.0– 3.2 mm, fleshy, tawny-yellow and salmon, divided in the middle by a longitudinal keel, inner surface glabrous, outer surface densely minute-papillose. Column 0.8–1.0 mm long, glabrous.

Distribution:— Venezuela and Guyana ( Fig. 14 ).

Specimens Examined:— GUYANA. Potaro-Siparuni Region: Mt. Ayanganna , camp on summit plateau 23 July 2001, Clarke 9458 (US) . VENEZUELA. Bolívar: Expedición Auyan-tepui , at base of moist zanjon below (north of) El Libertador, 15 May 1964, Steyermark 93962 ( GH). Territorio Federal Amazonas: Cerro Sipapo (Paráque), Territorio Amazonas, 01 January 1949, Maguire 28092 ( NY) .

Habitat:— Prescottia carnosa occurs in grasslands on plateaus at 1,400–2,300 m.

Conservation Status:— Vulnerable (VU – D2). This taxon is known to exist at no more than five locations, represented only by four herbarium collections.

Etymology:— From the Latin fleshy, probably a reference to the thick lip.

Notes:— Prescottia carnosa is poorly known and rarely collected. It can be distinguished from all other species in the genus by the longitudinal keel or septum in the centre of the fleshy lip. Another remarkable character of this taxon is flower orientation, which is almost patent.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Prescottia carnosa. A. Habit. B. Flower, front view. C. Floral bract. D. Perianth parts, clockwise from top: lip, lateral sepal, petal, dorsal sepal. E,F. Column. E. Ventral view. F. Dorsal view. (Steyermark 59772).

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Prescottia carnosa, P. ecuadorensis and P. lojana.