Corresponding author: Francisco Tobar Suarez (
Academic editor: V. Droissart
Three new species of
Suarez FT, López MF, Gavilanes MJ, Monteros MF, García TS, Graham CH (2021) Three new endemic species of
Three new species:
These novelties were discovered and collected as part of three different research projects conducted during the last five years (2016–2021), including “The Ecology of Plant and Hummingbird Interactions Project (
Plants were photographed in situ and subsequently pressed and dried, and deposited at QCA and QCNE (acronyms according to
We assess the extinction risk of the three species following the
This species is similar to
Ecuador. El Oro, Zaruma, Salvias, near Cerro de Arcos,
Epiphytic, caespitose herbs up to 3 cm tall. Roots flexuous, cylindrical 0.7 mm in diameter. Rhizome inconspicuous. Ramicaul arcuate to pendulous, 0.9–1.9 × 0.1–0.3 cm long, with 3–4 internodes, covered entirely by light brown minutely puberulent lepanthiform sheaths with a minutely pubescent, acuminate ostium. Leaves dark-green suffused with purple, arcuate 1.0–1.3 × 0.4–0.6 cm, coriaceous, elliptic, subacute to obtuse, tridentate at the apex, base cuneate, contracted into a petiole 2–4 mm long. Inflorescence racemose, one per stem, longer than the leaf, 2.0–3.5 cm long, flexuous, producing 3–16 widely spaced, successively opening flowers; peduncle filiform, 1–3 mm long, surrounded at the base by a bract 1.5 mm long. Floral bracts sub-distichous, infundibuliform, longapiculate. Ovary 1.5 mm long, obpyramidal, slightly arcuate, irregularly keeled. Flowers ca. 12 × 4 mm; dorsal sepal red with a yellow margin, lateral sepals yellow suffused with red around the middle vein; petals with the upper lobe red and the lower one yellow, lip reddish with yellow tips, column reddish, with white and red anther. Dorsal sepal glabrous, slightly concave, ovate, ending in a decurved cauda, 3–veined, 6.0 × 2.7 mm including the cauda. Lateral sepals glabrous, with minutely denticulate margins, connate on their basal one-third, ovate, caudate, 2–veined, 5.0 × 2.0 mm. Petals, bilobate, microscopically pubescent; apical lobe ovate, rounded, lower lobe triangular-oblong, acute, ca. 3.5 × 0.9 mm. Lip bi-laminate, blades ovate, convex, subacute at the base and rounded at the apex, microscopically pubescent, covering most of the column, ca. 1.8 × 0.7 mm; the base of the lip fused to the ventral part of the column, the connectives shortly cuneate, the sinus narrowly oblong with very small, triangular, microscopically pubescent appendix. Column claviform, arcuate, markedly broaden above the middle, truncate at the apex, ca. 1.6 × 0.8 mm. Pollinarium with two ovoid pollinia, with a round, drop-like viscidium. Anther dorsal, deltate. Stigma ventral, horseshoe-shaped. Rostellum minute, apiculate. Capsule globose, 4 × 3 mm.
Comparison with the most similar species to
Geographical distribution of the three new species of
The species was collected in bloom in August and had inflorescences in different stages of development, which suggests that the flowering period may be much broader.
The specific epithet refers to the provinces of El Oro and Loja, since this species was discovered at their border.
Landscape near to Cerro de Arcos, where
Morphologically, the most similar species is
Similar in habit to
Ecuador. Pichincha, Nono, Yanacocha Reserve, masked trogon path,
Terrestrial, caespitose, prolific herbs up to 40 cm in height. Roots flexuous, cylindrical, pink with yellow apex. Ramicauls arcuate, new stems arise from the apex of the old ones superposed, 4.1–25.0 × 0.2–0.3 cm long, with 4–16 internodes, covered completely by lepanthiform sheaths, these light brown, 0.3–2.9 cm long, the ostium microscopically muricate, acuminate. Leaves arcuate, 7.5–9.4 × 1.1–2.2 cm, blades oblong-ovate, light to dark green, minutely serrate along the margin, long-acuminate apically, base cuneate, contracted into a petiole 4–7 mm long. Inflorescence one per stem, shorter than the leaf, 2.5–6 cm long, borne on the underside of the leaf, racemose; peduncle filiform, 2 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter, surrounded by a basal bract. Floral bracts 2 mm long, papiraceous, obliquely infundibuliform, glabrous and long-apiculate. Ovary 3.2 mm long, obpyramidal, with irregular keels. Flowers ca. 4.5 × 13 mm; sepals entirely yellow, petals yellow with edges slightly suffused with red or pink; lip yellow with the base and edges of the blades red or pink; column pink or purple and anther purple with two yellow spots at the base. Sepals with minutely denticulate margins, dorsal sepal 6 × 4.5 mm, broadly ovate-triangular, minutely denticulate, shortly acuminate, 3-veined; lateral sepals 7 × 2.4 mm long, connate to their middle, obliquely ovate with divergent acute-acuminate apex, 2-veined. Petals ca. 3 × 1.4 mm long, 1-veined, minutely pubescent, transversely bilobed, the upper lobe narrowly triangular with revolute margins, the lower lobe smaller, broadly triangular, obtuse. Lip bi-laminate, the blades minutely pubescent, ovate, rounded, close to each other in their proximal part and divergent at the apex, ca. 1.4 ×1.2 mm; connective short, deeply cuneate, the base of the lip connate with the base of the column, sinuous, obtuse; appendix tiny, oblong-lanceolate, pubescent at the apex. Column slightly arcuate, slightly broadened apically, somewhat compressed dorsoventrally, ca. 1.2 × 0.8 mm; clinandrium covering the lower half of the anther. Anther dorsal, stigma ventral, horseshoe-shaped. Rostellum minutely triangular, yellow. Capsule ovoid 6-ribed ca. 4 × 6 mm, with persistent perianth. Capsule ellipsoid, 6-ribed.
This species is endemic to the Yanacocha and Verdecocha reserves on the western slopes of Volcán Pichincha (Fig.
The species was collected in flower in November, February and May, which suggests that flowering occurs throughout the rainy season, from October to the end of May.
From the Greek μικρό, small and προσάρτημα, appendix, in reference to the tiny appendix of this species.
Only three collecting sites have been found during three years of monitoring at two locations: Yanacocha and Verdecocha reserves (Fig.
The closest species are
Comparison with the most similar species to
Natural habitat of
Similar to
Ecuador. Pichincha, Cayambe, Olmedo, El Chalpar, 5 km northwest of the San Marcos Lagoon, 3500 m,
Terrestrial, caespitose, prolific herbs up to 40 cm in height. Roots flexuous, cylindrical, deep pink. Ramicauls arcuate or pendulous, with 6–12 internodes, 4–22 × 0.2–0.8 cm long, covered completely by lepanthiform sheaths, these light brown, papillose, 0.5–2.5 cm long, the ostium microscopically muricate, acuminate. Leaves arcuate, slightly concave, 3.5–9.0 × 0.8–2.4 cm, blades ovate to oblong, light to dark green, long-attenuate, tridenticulate apically, base cuneate, contracted into a petiole 1–3 mm long. Inflorescence 1.0–5.6 cm long, shorter than the leaves, racemose, densely flowered, one or six per stem, producing one or two successively opening flowers; peduncle filiform, 1.0–1.5 mm long, surrounded by a basal bract. Floral bracts 2 mm long, distichous, glabrous, apiculate. Ovary 3 mm long, obpyramidal, with 6 irregular keels. Flowers ca. 13 × 8 mm; sepals minutely denticulate, entirely light yellow; petals pubescent, yellow with proximal part of the upper lobe red to brown, lip minutely pubescent white with yellow, with the base and edges of the blades purple or brown, column pink and yellow, anther white with purple apex. Dorsal sepal 7.0 × 5.0 mm, broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, 3-veined. Lateral sepals 2-veined, 6.0 × 4.0 mm, connate at least on their proximal two-thirds, obliquely ovate with divergent, shortly acuminate apices. Petals 1-veined, ca. 4.5 × 1.5 mm, transversely bilobed, lobes subequal, narrowly triangular-oblong, rounded. Lip with blades ovate-oblong, microscopically pubescent, close to each other in their proximal part and divergent at their apices, not covering the column, base of the blades rounded, apical part acute, incurved, ciliate, ca. 2.0 × 1.6 mm; connective broadly cuneate, minutely pubescent, its body connate with the base of the column, sinus obtuse, with a small, rounded, pubescent appendix, which has two protuberances on the top and a minute tuft of hairs. Column claviform, straight, ca. 2.0 × 0.8 mm; clinandrium covering only the lower half of the anther. Anther dorsal, stigma ventral. Rostellum more or less oblong with the apex rounded, yellow. Capsule not seen.
This species was collected in the buffer zone of the Cayambe-Coca National Park on the eastern Imbabura and Pichincha provinces (Fig.
The species has been found in flowers and with fruits at different stages of maturity from May to July, suggesting that reproduction takes place all year round.
The specific epithet honors the Caranqui culture that historically occupied the same areas where this species is distributed.
Comparison with the most similar species to
Natural habitat of
This study was possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL) – National Geographic Society (Grant N° 9952-16) – Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF Grant N° 173342) – European Research Council Advanced Grants (ERC Grant N° 787638)