This is the second volume of the series on Orchidaceae for Flora Costaricensis, after the fundamental contribution by Atwood and Mora de Retana, published 10 years ago. The present work was conceived and realized at Lankester Botanical... more
This is the second volume of the series on Orchidaceae for Flora Costaricensis, after the fundamental contribution by Atwood and Mora de Retana, published 10 years ago. The present work was conceived and realized at Lankester Botanical Garden, University of Costa Rica (LBG), as part of the commitment by the center to carry out a complete inventory of the orchid flora of the country and to provide relevant information for the conservation of endangered taxa. In the past 10 years, the activities of botanical exploration carried out by the staff of LBG significantly improved the living plant collections grown at the Garden, revealed several floristic novelties, and made important steps toward a better understanding of species identity in this large and taxonomically complex group of plants. [...] Although they only represent a small portion (around four percent) of the Costa Rican orchid flora, species of Zygopetalinae are frequently grown (and often avidly collected) for horticultural purposes, and their study is crucial to understanding distribution patterns and species frequency as the first step to establish conservation priorities. Among the genera of Zygopetalinae, Dichaea constitutes a particularly common element in any type of vegetation in the country, and its taxonomic treatment should have a certain utility to field botanists working in Costa Rica. Sixteen genera (including a natural hybrid genus) and 60 species are treated.
This paper focuses on the systematics of the Specklinia endotrachys species complex in Costa Rica. Traditionally considered a variable species, S. endotrachys is here treated as one of at least four, albeit closely related, taxa. Of these... more
This paper focuses on the systematics of the Specklinia endotrachys species complex in Costa Rica. Traditionally considered a variable species, S. endotrachys is here treated as one of at least four, albeit closely related, taxa. Of these species, S. endotrachys, S. pfavii, and S. spectabilis are described and illustrated from living material, and S. remotiflora is described and illustrated as new to science. Specklinia remotiflora is compared with S. endotrachys and S. spectabilis, from which it differs in the repent habit, lax inflorescence and campanulate flowers provided with convergent sepals and non-apiculate petals. New combinations are proposed for Pleurothallis pfavii and P. spectabilis. A lectotype is selected for Pleurothallis endotrachys. Observations on the pollination of S. remotiflora and S. spectabilis in cultivation are given. Key words: Neotropical orchids, pollination, Specklinia endotrachys complex, Specklinia remotiflora
