Lepanthes davidii Gal.-Tar., Zuluaga & J.S.Moreno 2022 SECTION Lepanthes SUBSECTION Lepanthes SERIES Mucronatae Luer 1996
Photo by © R.G. Tarazona/TYPE Drawing By J S Moreno Four new species of Lepanthes (Pleurothallidinae) from the southwestern Andes in Colombia
Common Name or Meaning David's Lepanthes [honors Andres David Galindo Rey, son of Robinson Galindo-Tarazona, the first author of the species]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm] wide
Found in Valle de Cauca department of Colombia in a humid secondary forest at elevations around 1700 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with slender, suberect to horizontal ramicauls enveloped by 6 to 13, acuminate, furrowed, microscaopically pubescent lepanthiform sheaths with a dilated, cilate ostia and carrying a single, apical, purple, more or less vertical at an angle of 90 degrees from the ramicaul, coriaceous, corrugate, reticulate veined, 8 main veined, ovate, attenuate, apex emarginate with an abaxial, medial apiculum, obtuse and cuneate contracted below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter on a congested, distichous, peduncle filiform, terete, held appressed to the adaxial surface of the leaf, .28 to 1.24" [.7–3.1 cm] long, borne near the apex of the ramicaul, rachis .24 to .52" [.6 to 1.3 cm] long, successively single, 12 to 26 flowered inflorescence with conical, acuminate, minutely ciliate, shorter than the pedicel floral bracts.
"Lepanthes davidii is most similar to L. ankistra from Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia, a species also with reticulate leaves but distinguished easily by its transversely bilobed petals with the lower lobe strongly uncinate (vs. the lower lobe triangular, falcate towards the apex and acute). The most relevant feature that defines the identity of L. davidii is the appendix, which is bisegmented, slender, recurved, pubescent with an ovoid apical portion deflexed, and the basal portion concave (vs. a concave and ciliate appendix but with an apical gland (Luer & Dressler 1986). Another similar species from Colombia is L. brunnescens Luer, recognized and separate from this species by having no uncinate lower lobes in its transversely bilobed petals but with the same blades of the lip and appendix as L. ankistra. From the western Andes of Colombia, L. sinuosa Luer & R.Escobar is also recognized by its thin ovate leaves, acute, slightly acuminate, and reticulate with markedly sinuate margin (vs. margin entire), truncate lower lobe of the transversely bilobed petals (vs. the lower lobe triangular, sub-sigmoid towards the apex, acute), the blades of the lip flat, falcate, adherent below the middle over the column (vs. the blades oblong-lunate, with sub-acute base and apices, thin, flat, adherent medially to each other over the column) and the appendix is boat-shaped and pubescent, with a bifid gland at the apex (vs. bisegmented slender, recurved, with an ovoid apical portion deflexed and the basal portion concave)." J.S.Moreno, Gal.-Tar. & Zuluaga 2022
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Four new species of Lepanthes (Pleurothallidinae) from the southwestern Andes in Colombia Drawing/photo fide;
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