Nordic Journal of Botany 31: 446448, 2013

doi: 10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00090.x,
2013 The Authors. Nordic Journal of Botany 2013 Nordic Society Oikos
Subject Editor: Bertil Sthl. Accepted 22 February 2013

Crossoglossa frontinoensis sp. nov. (Orchidaceae, Malaxideae)

from Colombia

Dariusz L. Szlachetko and Marta Kolanowska

D. L. Szlachetko and M. Kolanowska (martakolanowska@wp.pl), Dept of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, The Univ. of Gdask, ul.
Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdask, Poland.

A new species of the genus Crossoglossa, C. frontinoensis Szlach. & Kolan. sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on
Colombian material. The new species appears to be similar to Crossoglossa tipuloides, but it is easily separable by distinctly
narrower lip with pandurate basal part and long-acuminate apical part, much narrower, long-acuminate sepals and petals
and narrower leaves. Information about its habitat, ecology and distribution is provided.

The genus Crossoglossa was proposed in 1993 by Dressler
and Dodson to embrace species characterized by the lack of
pseudo-bulbs, elongated stems and a lip clasping the gynos-
temium, which were previously classied within Malaxis
Sol. ex Sw., Microstylis (Nutt.) Eaton and Liparis Rich.
Plants of the genus have been reported from Nicaragua
in the north to Bolivia in the south, with the greatest species
diversity in Colombia and Ecuador. The altitudinal range
of Crossoglossa extends from 500 m up to ca 2500 m a.s.l.
(Noguera-Savelli et al. 2008).
Nowadays, the genus consists of about 30 species.
However, the actual number of taxa seems to be underes-
timated, and new Crossoglossa species are described almost
every year (Dressler and Dodson 1993, Dodson 1995,
Ortiz 1995, Dressler 1997, Vsquez 1999, Pupulin 2000,
Szlachetko and Margoska 2001, Noguera-Savelli et al.
2008, Pupulin and Karremans 2010).
Eight species of the genus have been reported from
Colombia. Most of them were found growing in the lower
montane and montane regions of the country above 1000 m
a.s.l. (Ortiz and Uribe 2007, Noguera-Savelli et al. 2008).
Until now no Crossoglossa species has been reported from the
department of Antioquia (Piedrahta et al. 2011). However,
our comprehensive revision of the herbarium material stored
in Colombian herbaria revealed the existence of a distin-
guished Crossoglossa species in Antioquia which is described
here as new.
Crossoglossa frontinoensis Szlach. & Kolan. sp. nov.
(Fig. 1)
Similar to Crossoglossa tipuloides but easily separable by
distinctly narrower lip with pandurate basal part and
long-acuminate apical part, much narrower, long-acuminate
sepals and petals and narrower leaves.
Type: Colombia, Dept of Antioquia. Mpio. Frontino.
Corregimiento Nutibara. Cuenca alta del Rio Cuevas, 1900
m a.s.l., 23 Nov 1986, D. Sanchez, C. Orrega, S. Sylva, G.
Galeano, G. Martinez, D. Restrepo and N. Bedoya 820
(holotype: COL!).
Etymology
The new species is named in reference to the name of the
locality where the type specimen was collected.
Description
Stem caulescent, erect, surrounded by distichous, imbri-
cating, foliaceous leaf-sheaths. Leaves numerous, to 16 cm
long and 2.5 cm wide, oblanceolate, acute at apex, nar-
rowing to a long cuneate base at the junction with the
sheath, persistent, membranaceous. Inorescence with
an at least 18 cm long peduncle, laxly many-owered;
the owers spirally arranged. Floral bracts to 7 mm long,
with entire margin. Pedicel 15 mm long. Ovary 1.5 mm
wide. Dorsal sepal 910 mm long and to 2 mm wide,
linear-triangular to subulate, acute, 1-nerved. Petals
10.5 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, liform with slightly wider
base, oblique, acute, spreading, 1-nerved. Lateral sepals
13 mm long, 1.8 mm wide, obliquely oblong ovate to
lanceolate, acute at the caudate apex, falcate, spreading,
1-nerved. Lip 11 mm long and 3.8 mm wide, elliptic-ovate
in outline, long-acuminate at apex, cordate at base, with
margin densely ciliate towards apex; basal auricles falcate,
slightly thickened along margins, obtuse, 5-nerved. Gynos-
temium 0.6 mm long.

446
Figure 1.Crossoglossa frontinoensis sp. nov. (A) dorsal sepal, (B) petal, (C) lateral sepal, (D) lip. Drawn by D. Szlachetko from the holotype.
Habitat and ecology
Crossoglossa frontinoensis was found in the montane forest at
about 17001900 m a.s.l. Apparently it is owering in June
and November.
Distribution
Crossoglossa frontinoensis is only known from the western Cordil-
lera in the Colombian Department of Antioquia (Fig. 2).
Similar species
Crossoglossa frontinoensis belongs to the Crossoglossa
tipuloides-complex. It is, however, easily separable form
the latter by the ower segments. The lip of C. frontinoensis
is distinctly narrower, with prominent basal auricles. The
lip of C. tipuloides (Lindl.) Dodson is elliptic-lanceolate,
acute at the apex, with obscure basal auricles. Sepals and
petals of the new species are narrow, long-acuminate as
compared with the oblong-lanceolate, obtuse sepals and
linear, subobtuse petals of C. tipuloides. Additionally, the
leaves of C. frontinoensis are narrow, oblanceolate, whereas
in C. tipuloides they are obovate to obovate-oblanceolate
(Fig. 3).
Other similar species, e.g. the Colombian C. acutissima
Noguera-Savelli & Carnevali and Ecuadorian C. neirynckiana
447

Figure 2. Localities of C. frontinoensis sp. nov. (spots) in the
Department of Antioquia (gray lling).
Szlach. & Marg. are similar to C. frontinoensis in tepals shape
and attenuate lip, but the basal auricles of both of them are
rounded and inconspicuous. Moreover, the leaf margins of C.
acutissima are undulate or sinuate, a character not observed
in C. frontinoensis.
There are two Ecuadorian Crossoglossa species charac-
terized by prominent basal auricles: C. hirtzii Dodson
ex Dodson and C. pichinchae (Schltr.) Dodson. The rst
one diers from C. frontinoensis by the wide, triangular
basal auricles of the elliptic-lanceolate lip and triangular-
lanceolate, comparatively short sepals. The lip of
C. pichinchae resembles C. frontinoensis by the basal
falcate-triangular auricles, however it is easily distinguished
from the new species by the general shape of the lip which
is lanceolate-sagitte in outline and by its basal ornamenta-
tion with a rounded callus.
Additional specimens examined (paratypes)
Colombia. Dept of Antioquia. Mpio. Urrao. Corregimiento
de La Encarnacion, camino de herradura entre el Paramo de
San Pedro y el rio Calles, 17001900 m a.s.l., 22 Jun 1982,
Bernal and Galeano 374 (COL! buds).
Acknowledgements We are grateful to Sawomir Nowak for
preparing the illustrations. The research described here has been
supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education
(research grant no. 8124/B/PO1/2011/40).
448
Figure 3. Comparison of the oral characters of C. frontinoensis
sp. nov. (1) and C. tipuloides (2). (A) dorsal sepal, (B) petal, (C)
lateral sepal, (D) lip. Scale bars 4 mm. Drawn by S. Nowak.
References
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