Epidendrum manusalinasiae L.E.Alfaro, J.Duarte et Hágsater, 2024

Epidendrum manusalinasiae L.E.Alfaro, J.Duarte et Hágsater , sp. nov.

( Figures 2–3 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ).

Type: — PERU. Cusco: Prov. Paucartambo, Distr. Kosñipata , Sur Oeste del Parque Nacional de Manu , 3200 m, línea de Bosque Pluvial Montano con pajonal de puna, epífita sobre Clethra cuneata y terrestre en hojarasca y musgo, 4 August 2023, L. E. C. Alfaro, M. Pedraza & A. Nina 22 (holotype: 343441 USM !).

Similar to Epidendrum churubambense Ocupa, J.Duarte, E.Santiago & Hágsater (2022: 271) but E. manusalinasiae has leaves 7.5–12.8 × 1.7–2.2 cm, elliptic to widely elliptic (vs. leaves 6.4–8.4 × 0.9–1.2 cm, narrowly lanceolate), pale yellow to green flowers, sepals sometimes tinged red-brown, column and calli creamy yellow (vs. flowers greenyellow, column green at the base and white at the apex), the sepals 19–23 × 8–10.5 mm, (vs. sepals 19.8 × 6–6.6 mm), the petals 18–19.4 × 5.0– 7.0 mm (vs. petals 16.9 × 3.5 mm), the lip 13–14 × 18.5–27.4 mm, disc with a large, fleshy thickened, forming wide cordiform platform, matte (vs. disc 3-ribbed, the ribs thickened, two in front of the calli and mid-rib slightly longer and widened at the apex, fleshy, forming a short mucron at the apex of the lip) lateral lobes 10 × 15 mm, obliquely dolabriform, wider at apex (vs. lateral lobes 9–10 × 6.9–7 mm, sub-orbicular,) mid-lobe 12 × 7.0 mm, sub-rectangular, apex deeply bilobed, forming pair of semi-orbicular lobes (vs. mid-lobe 3 × 5.8 mm, sub-quadrate, short, bilobed generating a pair of sub-quadrate lobes).

Description: —Epiphytic or terrestrial, sympodial, scandent herb, to 22 cm tall including inflorescence. Roots 1.5– 2.0 mm in diameter, distributed along rhizome of primary pseudobulb, fibrous, thin, wine-red and white. Stems 2.6–4.2 × 0.75–0.95 cm, thickened forming fusiform pseudobulb, striated and rugose, pale green and wine-red when exposed to sunlight; covered by one sheath 1.7–1.9 × 2.9–3.5cm, membranaceous, acute, becoming scarious and fibrous with time, lacking in old stems. Leaves 7.5–12.8 × 1.4–2.2 cm, apical, one per stem, articulate, conduplicate, coriaceous, crass, centrally rugose; green in shade, tinged brown in full sun; elliptic to widely elliptic, obtuse, margins entire, spreading. Spathe 1, 4.7 × 2.1 cm, at apex of pseudobulb, tubular, oblong, conduplicate, apex acute, color transparent brown. Inflorescence ca. 6.1 cm long including flowers, apical from developing pseudobulb, erect, racemose, shorter than apical leaf; peduncle 3.5 cm long, terete, thin, erect, straight; rachis 0.3 cm long. Floral bracts 1.7–2.0 mm long, much smaller than ovary, ovate-triangular, acuminate, embracing, cream colored. Flowers 2-3, simultaneous, resupinate, pale yellow to green, sepals sometimes tinged red-brown, column and calli creamy yellow; disc of lip matte, fragrance none. Ovary 17–20 mm long, terete, thin, arching, furrowed, slightly inflated ventrally along apical 1/3. Sepals 19–23 × 8–10.5 mm, spreading, free, ovate-elliptic, acuminate, 7-veined, margins entire; spreading, lateral sepals slightly oblique, apex with low dorsal keel. Petals 18–19.4 × 5.0– 7.0 mm, strongly reflexed or becoming pendent, hidden behind lateral sepals, free, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 3-veined, margins entire, spreading. Lip 12.5–14 × 18.0– 27.4 mm, 3-lobed, widely revolute, lateral lobes 9.2–10 × 10–15 mm, reniforms, margin erose, mid-lobe 10–12 × 5.0–7.0 mm, revolute, distal portion plicated forward, whit a sub-lobed appearance in natural position, margin erose; bicallose, calli digitiform, large, fleshy, laterally flattened, divaricate: disc, a wide, fleshy, cordiform platform, with the apex projected toward the base of the mid-lobe. Column 10–12.5 mm long, short, thin at base, widened towards apex, slightly arching, with pair of lateral wings, truncate. Clinandrium-hood reduced, margin entire. Anther reniform, apex concave in middle, 4-celled, pale yellow tinged brown on sides. Pollinia 4, obovoid, laterally compressed, caudicles yellow, soft and granulose. Rostellum apical, slit; viscarium semi-liquid. Lateral lobes of stigma, Cuniculus and Capsule not seen.

Distribution and ecology: — Epidendrum manusalinasiae is currently known from the Department of Cusco, from the upper edge of the Manu National Park and La Paz, Bolivia. The plant illustrated and described was collected in the high part of Manu National Park, inside cloud forest, between 3180–3250 m elevation. It was found growing in high Andean Rain Forest dominated by Weinmannia reticulata Ruiz & Pavon (1830 : t. 332), W. cochensis Hieronymus (1895: 310) , Clusia alata Planchon. & Triana (1860: 361) , Clethra cuneata Rusby (1907: 314) , and Myrsine coriacea (Swartz) Robert Brown ( Roemer & Schultes 1819: 511). The climate is that of the montane rain forest, bordering on the transition towards pajonal (wet grassland ecosystem) with the presence of bushes of the Ericaceae and Asteraceae families and abundant Gaiadendron punctatum G.Don. (1834: 432) of the Loranthaceae family. Flowering was registered in February and August.

Etymology: —The epithet manusalinasiae , is composed of the area where it was collected, Manu, of the Parque Nacional Manu, followed by -Salinas-, the surname of Dra. Norma Salinas Revilla, researcher of the INTE-PUCP (Institute for Nature, Earth and Energy, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú).

Additional specimen examined (paratype): — BOLIVIA: La Paz: Franz Tamayo, Pelechuco , población Puina . Al este, en línea recta del poblado de Puina en el sector Hichucorpa y Chuncani pata, 3266 m, 7 October 2016, Zenteno -R, F 18990 ( LPB!).

Other records: — PERU. Cusco: La Convención, Aguas Calientes , 2800 m, received 01 II 2024, digital images, ¡ AMO! https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/118721310 Ibid. Prov. Paucartambo, Distr. Kosñipata, Orquídeas de la Reserva de la Biosfera del Manu , Zona de amortiguamiento, photo 42 by Francisco Llacma, as Epidendrum sp.1 , (Suclli et. al. 2018).

Conservation status: —Data deficient (DD).

Taxonomic discussion: — Epidendrum manusalinasiae belongs to the Saxicola group (Hágsater et al. 2019) characterized by the pseudobulbous, the caespitose or scandent habit, the prominent spathaceous bract apically rounded, the few-flowered, erect inflorescence, the flowers purple or yellow, and the surface of the vegetative structures often rugose. The new species is recognized by the leaves 7.5–12.8 × 1.7–2.2 cm, conduplicate, elliptic to widely elliptic; the sepals19–23 × 8–10.5, petals 18–19.4 × 5.0– 7.0 mm, strongly reflexed or pendent, hidden behind the lateral sepals, the lip 13–14 × 18.5–27.4 mm, the disc large, fleshy thickened, forming wide cordiform platform, matte, wider than mid-lobe and reaching its base. The new species is most similar to Epidendrum churumbambense Ocupa, J.Duarte, E.Santiago & Hágsater , but that species has yellow-green flowers, column green at the base and white at the apex, the leaves 6.4–8.4 × 0.9–1.2 cm, narrowly lanceolate, the sepals 19.8 × 6.0– 6.6 mm; petals 16.9 × 3.5 mm; the lip 11.5 × 13.7 mm, with the disc provided with 3 ribs, thickened, two in front of the calli and mid-rib slightly longer and wider towards the apex, fleshy reaching the apical, short mucro. Other species of the Saxicola group, morphologically close to E. manusalinasiae are Epidendrum tetartociclium Collantes & Hágsater (2013 : pl. 1487), having pale green to creamy green, translucid, somewhat opaque, the petals and lip creamy green to citrus yellow, the mid-lobe of the lip pale green, translucent to somewhat opaque; sepals 25–29 × 9.0– 10.2 mm, elliptic (vs. 19–23 × 8–10.5 mm, ovate-elliptic) the petals 20–25 × 8.0– 8.5 mm, oblong-elliptic to oblong-obtrullate, spreading, slightly arched forward (vs. 18–19.4 × 5.0–7.0 mm, elliptic-lanceolate, strongly reflexed or becoming pendent, hidden behind lateral sepals) lip mid-lobe 8 × 8 mm, with a square isthmus abruptly dilated into a pair of rounded to sub-deltoid lobes (vs. 12 × 7.0 mm, sub-rectangular, apex deeply bilobed, forming pair of semi-orbicular lobes) and Epidendrum herreranum C. Schweinfurth (1943: 350) having the perianth red brown, the floral inner segments yellow, the sepals 19–20 mm long, the petals 19 × 11 mm, rhombic-spatulate, spreading; the lateral lobes of the lip 18 × 12 mm obliquely semi-orbicular (vs. 10 × 15 mm, obliquely dolabriform, wider at apex), and the mid-lobe 7 × 14 mm, inverted “T”-shaped with the apex forming two divaricate lobules which are overlaid on the corners of the lateral lobes ( Figure 4 View FIGURE 4 ).