Encyclia conchaechila (Barb.Rodr.)

Bastos, Cláudia A., Meneguzzo, Thiago E. C. & Berg, Cássio Van Den, 2018, A taxonomic revision of the Brazilian species of Encyclia (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Epidendreae), Phytotaxa 342 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

12. Encyclia conchaechila (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade (1935: 28). Basionym: Epidendrum conchaechilum Barbosa Rodrigues (1877: 53) ( Figs. 9 , 24L ). Type:— BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Solimões, próximo a desembocadura do Rio Negro, March, (lectotype designated by Fowlie & Duveen (1992): unpublished illustration by Barbosa Rodrigues in Iconographie des orchidées du Brésil: p. 8).

Epiphytic herbs, 20.8−26.1 cm tall. Pseudobulbs conical, 1.8−3.5 × 0.7 cm. Leaves 2, oblong to oblanceolate, 14.2−21.7 × 0.6−0.8 cm, apex acute. Inflorescence a 4–6-flowered, simple to compound raceme; peduncle c. 17.8 cm long; rachis c. 2.2 cm long. Flowers with pedicel 1.2 × 0.1 cm, warty; sepals yellowish, dorsal lanceolate, 1.0−1.3 × 0.3 cm, laterals lanceolate, 1.0−1.2 × 0.3−0.4 cm, reflexed, margin entire, apex acute; petals yellowish, lanceolate, 1.0−1.1 × 0.2−0.3 cm, reflexed, margin entire, apex mucronate; lip with claw 0.10−0.15 × 0.20−0.30 cm, lateral lobes free relative to midlobe 0.6−0.7 × 0.3 cm, yellowish, at a ˂45° angle to midlobe (in the flattened lip), overlapping it, margin entire, apex acute, midlobe rounded, 0.3−0.4 × 0.3−0.4 cm, yellowish, sinuous, margin gently undulate, apex obtuse, callus cymbiform, flabellate; column falcate, 0.6−0.7 × 0.1 cm, clinandrium apex unidentate, lateral teeth absent, column arms rounded, inconspicuous, apex obtuse; stigma triangular, without hooks; anther one, black, 0.10 × 0.15 cm.

Distribution and habitat:— Guyana, Venezuela and northeastern Brazil. In the last, it has only been recorded from Maranhão State, near the border with Pará, in an extension of Amazon Forest ( Fig. 7 ). In the collection at RB we found a possible incorrect record of this species from Bahia. The material has no precise locality and was prepared from a specimen of dubious origin in cultivation. Therefore we consider the stated locality of this specimen ( Pereira s.n., RB 69758) an error, also unlikely based on the known distribution of the taxon.

Phenology:— Flowering July–April.

Etymology:— Referring to the midlobe of the lip that resembles the shell of a bivalve (mollusk).

Taxonomic notes:— This species is often misidentified in collections, literature and internet photographs as E. flava ( Lindley 1840: 83) Porto & Brade (1935: 246), E. amicta (Linden & Reichenbach 1855:19) Schlechter (1919: 74) or E. linearifolioides ( Withner 2000, Castro Neto 2008). Encyclia flava in fact is a synonym of E. patens , as explained in the notes about the latter. The type specimen of E. amicta exhibits flowers with significant differences in relation to E. conchaechila , particularly the lip in which the lateral lobes are partially adnate to the midlobe, whereas in E. conchaechila they are free. To E. linearifolioides , E. conchaechila has notable similarities in flower morphology, especially the black anthers and column with inconspicuous arms. However, E. linearifolioides occurs in the central-west and southeast, in cerrado and semi-deciduous forests, whereas E. conchaechila is exclusively in the Amazon Rainforest. There are also differences in lip morphology. In the flattened lip of E. conchaechila the lateral lobes overlap the midlobe, whereas in E. linearifolioides the lateral lobes never overlap the midlobe. The petals, sepals and lip of E. conchaechila are yellowish, whereas in E. linearifolioides petals and sepals are greenish and the lip whitish or light cream. Unaware of the previous lectotypification by Fowlie & Duveen (1992), Meneguzzo et al. (2010) lectotypified this name with the same illustration.

Selected specimens examined: BRAZIL. Amazonas: Barcelos, Araca River, April 1991, Silva & Silva 66 (MG); Codajás, Laguinho, 21 April 1958, Ferreira 6476 (INPA); Itapiranga, Igarapé Catitu, 18 July 1979, Cid et al. 474 (INPA); Presidente Figueiredo, road to Morena, 21 March 2007, Carvalho-Sobrinho 1452 (INPA). Pará: Altamira, Xingu River, 11 October 1986, Souza et al. 261 (MG); Belém, 14 m, no date, Duarte s.n. (RB 95746); Conceição do Araguaia, 17 November 1961, no collector (ESA 13312); Novo Progresso, Serra do Cachimbo, February 2010, Meneguzzo 516 (HUEFS); Parauapebas, Serra dos Carajás, April 1990, Silva & Silva 64 (MG); Santana do Araguaia, April 1991, Silva & Silva 48 (MG).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution in Brazil of Encyclia bracteata, E. bragancae, E. caximboensis, E. chapadensis, E. chloroleuca and E. conchaechila.

FIGURE 9. A−G. Encyclia chapadensis. A. Dorsal sepal. B. Lateral sepals. C. Petal. D. Lip. E. Detail of lip callus. F. Column front view. G. Column side view (Bastos 291). H−N. Encyclia chloroleuca H. Dorsal sepal. I. Lateral sepals. J. Petal. K. Lip. L. Detail of lip callus. M. Column front view. N. Column side view (Bastos 328). O−U. Encyclia conchaechila. O. Dorsal sepal. P. Lateral sepals. Q. Petal. R. Lip. S. Detail of lip callus. T. Column front view. U. Column side view (Pereira s.n. RB 69758). Illustration by Carla de Lima.

FIGURE 24. A. ×Catyclia ×intermedia. B. Encyclia advena. C. Encyclia alboxanthina. D. Encyclia andrichii. E. Encyclia argentinensis. F.Encyclia auyantepuiensis. G. Encyclia bohnkiana. H. Encyclia bracteata. I. Encyclia bragancae. J. Encyclia chapadensis. K. Encyclia chloroleuca. L. Encyclia conchaechila. M. Encyclia cyperifolia. (Photographers: A: A. Peres Júnior. B, D−E, G−J: C. van den Berg. C: U.C.S. Silva. F: E. Pessoa. K−L: T.E.C. Meneguzzo).