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| Platystele baqueroi Jost & Iturralde |
Abstract
A new species of Platystele (Pleurothallidinae: Orchidaceae) is described from foothill forest in the province of Carchi in northwestern Ecuador. The species has relatively large flowers for the genus, with long slender sepaline tails. It resembles Platystele caudatisepala, but is distinguished from that species by the partially connate lateral sepals, the convex lip with reflexed tip and margins, the deflexed petals, sometimes with their tips touching behind the flower, the sepals with recurved margins, and the leaves long-petiolate.
Keywords: Carchi, Ecuador, Orchidaceae, Platystele, Pleurothallidinae
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| Figure 2. Platystele baqueroi. A, frontal view. B, lateral view.
Scale bars = 2.5 mm.
Photographs of the specimen that served as the holotype by Luis Baquero. |
Diagnosis. Similar to the widely distributed P. caudatisepala (C. Schweinf.) Garay, but differs in its more long-petiolate leaves, lateral sepals connate for 2 mm and not divergent, petals usually strongly deflexed, with tips that often meet or cross behind the flower, and adaxial surface of lip strongly convex rather than planar.
Eponymy: Named after Luis Baquero, Quito, Ecuador, enthusiastic orchidologist and conservationist who discovered this species.
Lou Jost and Gabriel Iturralde. 2017. A Showy New Platystele (Pleurothallidinae: Orchidaceae) from northwest Ecuador. LANKESTERIANA. 17(1); 55-60. DOI: 10.15517/lank.v17i1.28479
Resumen. Se describe una nueva especie de Platystele (Pleurothallidinae: Orchidaceae) de los bosques piemontanos de la provincia de Carchi en el noroccidente de Ecuador. Esta especie presenta flores relativamente grandes en relación a la mayoría de las especies del género, cuyas caudas de los sépalos son largas y delgadas. Es similar a Platystele caudatisepala pero se distingue de esa especie por sus sépalos laterales parcialmente connados, el labio convexo con la punta y márgenes reflexos, los pétalos deflexos, a veces tocando sus puntas hacia atrás de la flor, los sépalos con márgenes recurvados y las hojas largamente pecioladas.
