Palmorchis loretana Damian & L.A.Torres 2018

Photo by © A Damian

Common Name The Loreto Palmorchis

Flower Size .48 to .64r" [1.2 to 1.6 cm]

Found in Loreto department of Peru at elevations around 90 to 100 meters as a medium sized, hot growing terrestrial with erect, cane-like stems carrying 4, towards the apex, light green, plicate, with 5 prominent veins on the underside, oblong-elliptic, acuminate at the apex, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, up to 1.8” [4.5 cm] long, few-flowered inflorescence with narrowly triangular, acuminate, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying a small, pale yellowish green flower.

"P. loretana is quite similar to the poorly known P sobralioides. Although minimal, the prologue of this latter species by Barbosa Rodrigues (1877) and later, the extended version of Cogniaux (1893) including Barbosa’s drawings, are clear enough to differentiate it from P. loretana. Both authors indicate in their description of the early species a 3-lobed lip, with broad lateral lobes and a minute, ovate-triangular, acute midlobe, with four small protuberances. In contrast, P. loretana has a conspicuous oblong, acute midlobe with three low keels, and callus bearing two tall parallel ridges (Table 1). In addition, P. sobralioides is known to have a glabrous column while P. loretana is densely pubescent on the ventral surface." 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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