Paradisanthus Reichenbach (1852b: 930)

Thiago E. C. Meneguzzo, José F. A. Baumgratz & Cássio Van Den Berg, 2015, Taxonomic studies in the Aganisia complex (Orchidaceae, Zygopetalinae), Phytotaxa 238 (1), pp. 1-39 : 26

5. Paradisanthus Reichenbach (1852b: 930) .

Type: — Paradisanthus bahiensis Reichenbach (1852b: 930)

Etymology:— From the Greek, παράδεισος, paradise, garden, and άνθος, flower, for its beautiful flowers.

Terrestrial herbs, rarely rupiculous, with sympodial growth, caespitose. Roots thick, spongy. Flowering pseudobulb inconspicuous, homoblastic, ovoid, orbicular in transverse section; cataphylls in the base, non-leafy, non-scarious, non-articulate. Leaves 2–4 per pseudobulb; petiole conduplicate, distinct from blade, margin non-hyaline, articulate blade, plicate, narrow-ovate, narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate, rarely linear, base attenuate, apex acute, abaxial face with 5 prominent nerves. Inflorescences racemose or doubly racemose, lateral, axillary to inner cataphylls, erect, pedunculate, longer than the plant, rachis lax, blooming acropetally; bracts lanceolate, adpressed; bracteole 1, shorter than the ovary. Flowers resupinate. Sepals with the dorsal free, the laterals adnate to column feet and oblique, narrowly elliptic. Petals free, narrowly elliptic to oblong. Lip free, motile, trilobed, unguiculate; lateral lobes much smaller, semielliptic, callus semi-conic, retrorse, margin entire to crenulate, proximal margin with 5–7 conic fimbriae, proximal and distal parts carenate, irregularly crenate; midlobe obtrapezoid with constricted proximal part, apex truncate to slightly emarginate, proximal margin concave, distal part convex. Column semi-terete, column foot shorter than the column, apex with conspicuous triangular stigmatic wings; anther incumbent, clinandrium not projecting over the anther, margin entire, external face of anther cap bilobed, apex obtuse-denticulate, inner face bilocular; pollinia 4, in 2 pairs, juxtaposed, oblong-ovoid, laterally compressed, unequal in size and shape, tegula transverse-elliptic, caudicle amorphous, sticky, viscidium transverse-rhombic; stigma transverse; rostellum 1-lobed and triangular, not exceeding the stigma, rostellum remnant unlobed, concave. Capsules fusiform, 6-carinate, smooth surface; seeds not seen.

Distribution and habitat:— This monospecific genus occurs along coastal northeastern, southeastern and southern Brazil, from sea level to 1,000 m, in biome Floresta Atlântica, vegetation type floresta ombrófila (rainforest) and restinga (sedimentary coastal shrub field and forest) in the northeast and southeast, and floresta estacional semidecidual (semideciduous forest) in the south. There is also a disjunction to inland Brazil, Chapada Diamantina, in biome Caatinga, vegetation type floresta ciliar (riparian forest). TDWG code: 84 BZE-BA BZL-ES BZL-RJ BZL-SP BZS-PR BZS-SC.

Diagnostic characters:— The genus is recognized by its intemediate size (20–45 cm tall) with caespitose, inconspicuous pseudobulbs covered by non-leafy, non-articulate and non-scarious cataphylls, articulate plicate leaves, petiole with hyaline margins, inflorescence longer than the leaves, lax rachis, small flowers (sepals up to 1.1 cm), callus semi-conic, retrorse, margin entire to crenulate, proximal margin with 5–7 cone-like fimbriae, proximal and distal parts carenate, irregularly crenate, and column with conspicuous stigmatic wings.