Platanthera cualensis [R.González & Lizb.Hern.] in ed.

Drawing by Jorge Roberto González Tamayo and Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1: 252 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010

Common Name The Cuale Platanthera [A town near where the type was collectied]

Flower Size .28" [7 mm]

Found in Jalisco and Nayarit states of Mexico as an aquatic or in silt, in both cases the roots anchored in the mud or between the roots of the trees, along streams in cloud forest of mountain or in swampy terrain, among Cyperaceae, grasses and mosses, at elevations of 1450 to 1800 meters as a medium to large sized, cool growing terrestrial with an erect, angular, leafy above the middle stem carrying imbricated or separated, ascending or erect, arched or rectilinear, the first basals reduced to sheaths or with small blades, increasing as they ascend, the higher ones reduced to bracts, most of them continue to imbricate sheaths, the larger located above the base, ensiform, acuminate or acute, shiny, membraceous, trinervia, with raised nerves in decurrent keels 4.2 to 11.2" [10.5 to 28 cm] long, .36 to 1.32" [0.9 to 3.3 cm] wide leaves that blooms in the fall on an erect, terminal, with a costate rachis, 3.2 to 8" [8 to 20 cm] long, held in a loose, long cluster, successively few, many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, trinervia, with an additional nerve on each side, attached to the ovary, shorter than the ovary floral bracts

Platanthera cualensis is related and has been confused with P limosa , but P cualensis has a few leaves that are erect, adpressed, narrow, rectilinear; the inflorescence held in a sparse cluster, which gives the plant a slender appearance; subacute dorsal sepal, attenuated from below the middle; rounded petals in the posterior side and the anterior side dilates in a truncated atrium at the base, rounded and conspicuous; labellum oblong-linguistic, slightly attenuated above the half, obtuse; cylindrical nectary, at the distal end a little attenuated, sharp, rounded; a cuneate, oblong column, with acuminate apiculus; orthogonal rostelum and the stigma wedged down, subpentagonal. Our species differs from P limosa in the subsessile petals, cuneate, the edges crenulate; the Labellum ovate-lanceolate, with crenulate edges; poorly attenuated nectary in the distal part and a triangular, narrow and acute at the apex, sessile rostellum. In P volcanica , plants inhabit higher altitudes, never below 2,300 meters above sea level; they look more robust; the dorsal sepal is attenuated from below the middle; rounded or truncated petals at the base; the rounded ovate labellum; the cylindrical nectary and the underextended column, wide in the middle below the locules and the triangular obtuse appiculus." Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010

Synonyms Coenoemersa volcanica (Lindl.) R.González & Lizb.Hern. 2010; Gymnadenia neottioides A.Rich. & Galeotti 1845; Gymnadenia prasina A.Rich. ex Ames 1910; Habenaria volcanica (Lindl.) S.Watson 1883

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1: 252 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010 as Coenoemersa volcanica drawing fide;

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