Pleurothallis marioi Zambrano & Solano 2017 SUBGENUS Pleurothallis SECTION Macrophyllae-Fasciclatae Lindl. 1859
Photo by Javier Zambrano
Photo by Javier Zambrano
Common Name Mario's Pleurothallis [Mario Aguilar Atiencie, orchid grower from Marcabelí, Ecuador current]
Flower Size .12" [3 mm]
Found in El Oro province of Ecuador in the transition between the semi-deciduous premontane and evergreen premontane forests at elevations around 400 meters as a miniature to small sized, hot, pendent growing, caespitose epiphyte with an abbrieviated, cylindrical rhizome giving rise to terete, slightly arching ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, tubular, imbricating, persistent, chartaceous sheaths and carrying a single, apical, erect, fleshy, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, to linear ensifolrm, obtuse, coriacecous, emarginate-mucronate apically, sessile, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter and spring on an an erect, arising from the apex of the stem through a conduplicate, persistent, chartaceous spathe, peduncle terete, .16" [4 mm] long, provided with a tubular, acute-acuminate, persistent, conduplicate, scarious bract, fasciculate, successively single, to 4 flowered inflorescence.
"The most similar species with the new taxon are the Peruvian Pleurothallis arctata and the Venezuelan P. subtilis. Pleurothallis arctata can be distinguished from P. marioi by its erect plants (vs. pendent), oblong-lanceolate, basally 2-lobed leaves (vs. linear-ensiform, basally cuneate), oblong-lanceolate dorsal sepal (vs. ovate), longer and falcate-lanceolate petals .1" vs .056" [2.5 mm vs. 1.6 mm] and oblong-subpanduriform), 3-lobed and sagittate lip (vs. entire and ovate), and 2-lobed stigma (vs. 1-lobed). Pleurothallis subtilis can be distinguished from P. marioi by its erect plants (vs. pendent), marginally revolute and basally 2-lobed leaves (vs. not revolute, basally cuneate), pale yellow flowers (vs. yellow-amber with purple spots), falcate oblong-lanceolate petals (vs. oblong-subpanduriform), deflexed and round lip (vs. no deflexed and obtuse), slender and arching column (vs. robust and erect), and a prominent foot column (vs. obsolete foot). Other species similar to P. marioi are the Colombian P calamifolia and the Ecuadorian P. portillae. Pleurothallis calamifolia can be distinguished by its erect plants (vs. pendent), marginally revolute and basally 2-lobed leaves (vs. not revolute, basally cuneate), orbicular flowers (vs. bilabiate), ovate-triangular petals (vs. oblong-subpanduriform), 3-lobed, subquadrate and conduplicate lip (vs. entire, ovate, slightly concave) and a well develop foot column (vs. obsolete foot). On the other hand, P. portillae differs by its revolute sides and basally 2-lobed leaves (vs. not revolute margins, basally cuneate), extended flowers (vs. bilabiate), obovate dorsal sepal (vs. ovate), linear-ovate petals (vs. oblong-subpanduriform), and triangular-ovate, deflexed, unguiculate lip (vs. ovate, not deflexed, not unguiculate). The Ecuadorian P. acestrophylla has a similar habit (pendent plants, linear, sessile and basally cuneate leaves), but it is distinguished by its elliptic dorsal sepal (vs. ovate), slightly concave synsepal (vs. strongly concave), linear petals (vs. oblong-subpanduriform), oblong-ovate lip (vs. ovate), and column with a 2-lobed stigma (vs. 1-lobed). Finally, the also Ecuadorian P. lemniscifolia, is differentiated by its more or less revolute and basally subcordate leaves (vs. not revolute and basally cuneate), dorsal sepal elliptic (vs. ovate), petals linear-falcate (vs. oblong-subpanduriform), oblong lip (vs. ovate), and 2-lobed stigma (vs. 1-lobed)." Zambrano, Solano & Wilson 2017
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Phytotaxa 308 (1): 080–088 Zambrano, Solano and Wilson 2017 drawing/photo fide;
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