Palmorchis blancae Damian 2018
TYPE Drawing by © A Damian
Common Name Blanca's Palmorchis [Blanca León, peruvian who collected the plant that served as the holotype current]
Flower Size .48" [1.2 cm]
Found in easternmost Madre de Dios department of Peru in low elevation rainforest at elevations around 200 meters as medium sized, hot growing terrestrial with erect, canelike stems carrying 4, plicate, 5-veined, broadly elliptic, acuminate, cuneate at the base, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, provided with 1, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 3.2" [8 cm] long, foliaceous bract at base, peduncle .96" [2.4 cm] long, rachis 2" [5 cm] long, few-flowered inflorescence with shorter than the pedicel floral bract
"P. blancae belongs to a small group of Palmorchis species characterized by the inflorescence subtended by a basal bract, which resembles somewhat a spathe; and lip with 3 to 7 thickened keels. Two species exhibit this combination of features: P. nitida and P. fractiflexa Szlach. & Baranow. The latter is easily distinguished by its overall glabrous lip with short pubescence close to the base and entire basal margins (vs. densely pubescent below the middle with conspicuous ciliate margins), constricted below the middle (vs. on the apical quarter), with 3 lamellae reaching the apex, much higher in the midlobe (vs. 5 main veins not reaching the apex, thickened in apical half). Another similar species is Palmorchis puber (Cogn.) Garay, which differs in the wide obtriangular lip with an obscure middle lobe, and with 2 inconspicuous lamellae below the apex (vs. obovate lip with 5 thickened veins)." Damain and Torres 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Lankesteriana 18: 193 - 206 Damain & Torres 2018 drawing/photo fide
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