Dracula irmelinae N.Peláez & Gary Mey. & L.Mazariegos 2020 SUBGENUS Dracula SECTION Dracula SUBSECTION Dracula SERIES Grandiflorae-Parvilabiate Luer 1993
TYPE Photos by L. Mazariegos/TYPE Drawing by © Nicolás Peláez and LANKESTERIANA 20(2) 137 Pelaez, Meyer, Rendon-Jaramillo, Fernandez, Lopez-Alvarez & Mazariegos 2020
Common Name Irmelin's Dracula [Irmelin Indenbirken, the mother of the actor and philanthropist Leonardo DiCaprio, and constitutes an acknowledgement of DiCaprio’s dedication to the long-term health and well-being of all of Earth’s inhabitants current]
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes in montane forests as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, loose, consecutive sheaths and carrying a single, erecet, carinate, thinly coriaceous, narrowly elliptical, acute, gradually narrowing below intothe conduplicate, subpetiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall, winter and spring on a basal, descending to occasionally lateral, peduncles dark green speckled with brown, subverrucose, provided with several, green brown, tubular bracts, to 10" [20 cm] long, successively single, several flowered inflorescence.
"Among the known species of Dracula, D. irmelinae is phenotypically more similar to Dracula verticulosa, since it shares with the latter taxon a similar plant habit and leaf blade morphology, as well as an overall similar flower shape, lip and petal morphology. However, the new taxon differs from D. verticulosa in multiple traits. First, in D. irmelinae the indumentum features long pubescence and maculate red pigmentation on the sepals (Fig. 5A–F). Second, in D. irmelinae the bases of the lateral sepals form a deeper semicircular and smoothly curved mentum, whereas in D. verticulosa the mentum is deep, short and abrupt, forming an acute angle in side view (arrows in Fig. 5C,F, Table 1). Excluding the tails, the new taxon also has larger sepals than what is recorded for D. verticulosa." Pelaez, Meyer, Rendon-Jaramillo, Fernandez, Lopez-Alvarez & Mazariegos 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * LANKESTERIANA 20(2) 137 Pelaez, Meyer, Rendon-Jaramillo, Fernandez, Lopez-Alvarez & Mazariegos 2020 drawing/photo fide.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
