SIX MORE NEW SPECIES OF SOBRALIA FROM PANAMA 1

ROBERT L. DRESSLER

Jardfn Botanico Lanke!>tt!r, o\pdo 1031 7050. Cunago. Costa Rica. Mi,,.;ouri Botanical Garden. Research \s-.ociate. Aorida Mu�eum ol '\atural Hi�tOI). Semor Sctenti-.t. \fane Selby Botanical Garden' (e-mail: rdressle@'canan.ucr ac.cr)

ABSTRACT: Six new �pecie-.of Sobralia from Panama arede�cribed. All .. i:x .. pecies belong to Section Abbreriatae. the largest section of the genus. and four of the six o.tre found in the vicintty ofEI Valle de Ant6n.

S(I8RAU.1 COI\'Tt:-llit·�\ TO lag far behind most other orchid groups n classification. The tlowers are very delicate, and unless dried

quickly, tield-collectcd .... pecimens are usually quite useless. Ideally. one would have many different specie-. growing together nd could compare fre'h tlower..,, but, even then. the flowers are

llOstly very short-lived. and closely related species usually ·:,,wer on different day-.. Some features of the tlO\\Cr are lo<.t in either pressed or liquid-preserved material. and even in alcohol :.he delicate flower" may di..,integrate. Few of us can afford to

cep a skilled botanical illustrator at hand to record the details f each -.pecie� when it !lower�. With Sobralia. if the illu'>traror

comes just a few hour' I ate. there may be nothing to draw. Whlle carefully prepared and quickly dried specimens can be quite ,eful. pressed column' are crushed beyond recognition. -.o it ' best to pre ... erve the column in alcohol or to dry it without

nres'>ure. Six ne\\ species from Panama are here described. There are

ndoubtedly other� already in cultivation. butT have not seen heir flowers. The reader will note that two thirds of the new 'pecies described here are from the area ofEI Valle de Ant6n, Cocle province. Panama. El Valle and the cloud forest north of town have been a Mecca for botaniMs and orchidophiles for many years. yet, with the help of local people interested in •rchid'>. we continue to find new and -.urprising plants in the ..lfea. It is difticult to believe that there arc '>O man) spectcs of 'obralia in thi-. relatively small area. but at lea't unttl the rest of Panama is carefully sampled, the area of El Valle de Amon appear., to have by far the greatest dher-.ity of Sobralw. All of the specie., here described are member' of the Section A.bbredatae. the large.,t section of the genus (Ore.,slcr. 2002).

Sobralia citrea Dressler, sp. nov. HOLOTYPE: Panama. Cocle: El Valle de Ant6n. goo-I 000

m. flowered in cult. Aug. 2001. R. L. Dressler 6338, MO.

hotypes: FLAS. PMA. SEL.

I :un greatly indcht�d to Francu Pupulin r,,r help\\ ith the L:nin diagno<.e,. to Andre, Maduro and Erick Olm(h for help in the tield and m 1he garden m Panama. and. of coul"oc to Kru,kaya de \ofc:l�wrcJo. for help with CITES permit\.

Fig. I �'obralia citrea. A. Type plant. in cultl\ation. Photograph. K. Dre'>!>lcr. B. Another plant from El Valle de Anton. showing variation. Photograph· K Dressler.

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DRESSLER- SIX NEW SPECIES OF SOBRALIA FROM PANAMA

Fig. 2. Sobralia exi,�tw. Type plant. in cultivation. Photograph: K. Dressler.

Species Sobraliae chrysostomae Dressler simi lis, floribus aliquantum minoribus, labelo marginecrispiorecolumnae brachiis porrectis vel subporrectis recedit.

Roots 3-5 mm in diameter; stems 60-75 x 0.5 em basally; leaves l l-21 x 3.3-5.6 em, narrowly ovate, acute-acuminate, short petiolate ( 1-1.5 em); sheaths rugulose, scurfy-hispid; bract clusters about 5 x 1 em, elliptic, scurly-hispid; ovary and pedicel 2.8-3.5 em; sepals and petals white. lip lemon yellow with white margins and white streaks on blade; dorsal sepal 6-7.5 x 1. 9-2.2 em. elliptic or ovate-elliptic. acute to apiculate; lateral sepals 6.5-7.7 x 2-2.9, oblong-obovate;petals 5.4 -6.8 x 2.5-3.5cm,oblong-obovate; lip5.5-7.8 x4-6cm, obovate. blade markedly ruffled marginally, with several low keels; basal ridges ca. 8 mm long. verruculose between the ridges; column 4-4.2 em .. anns 3-4 x 2 mm, porrect or slightly upturned.

This is the common white Sobralia with yellow lip on the Pacific slope of Panama, ranging at least from western Panama to central Panama ( Ceno J efe). The flowers (Fig. 1 , page 93 7) are somewhat smaller than those of S. chrysostoma. with a more strongly ruftled lip margin. and the column arms are either porrect or only slightly upturned. The color of the lip is lemon yellow, rather than the orange-yellow of S. chrysostoma. At the present, I see no evidence of intergradation between S. cit rea

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and S. chrysostoma, which ranges from Nicaragua to Bocas del Toro, and perhaps farther east in Panama but only on the Atlantic (Caribbean) slope. A colleague has suggested that S.

chrysostoma ma) be synonymous with S. virginalis of Antioquia, Colombia. Until (or unless) one can determine just what S. virginalis is, however. such speculation is futile.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet cit rea, or lemon-colored, refers

to the color of the lip. Please note that the name Sobralia citrina

is an old name for a very different plant, better known as Cattleya. Euchile or Prosthechea cifl·ina. The type material of S. cirrea was prepared from a plant that has been grown in the Florida Museum of Natural History greenhouse for many year� that we have nicknamed "Ia pollera,'' because of the ornately ruftled lip, reminiscent of the traditional pol/era. or party dress. of Panama.

SPECIMENS: Otherspecimens seen from the same region: Aug.-Sept. 1996, Dressler 6191 (FLAS); June-July 2003. Dressler6384 (MO).

Sobralia exigua Dressler, sp. nov.

HOLOTYPE: Panama. Chiriqui: Cordillera, epiphytic, 800-1100 m., flowered in cult. 12July 2003,Dressler6365B(M0!).

Clonotype: Dressler 6365A (PMA.)

Habitu Sobraliae callosae similis, ab illa flore alba clcistogama, labelli margine fimbriato calloque trichomatibu� aurantiacis instructo distinguitur.

Caespitose, epiphytic, roots 4-6 mm in diameter; stems 14-21 xO.l-0.15cm; leaves 11.5-13x0.9-1 cm,narrowlyelliptic­lanceolate, acuminate, sheaths striate. with dark scwfy spots: floral bracts few, J 7-21 x 4-5 mm, narrowly lanceolate, striate.

with dark scurfy spots: ovary and pedicel ca. 16 mm; flowers

white with orange-yellow on disk. cleistogamous: sepals 26 x 2.6-3 mm, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, apiculate; petals 24 x � mm. narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, apiculate; lip 22 x I 0 mm. cuneate, oblong-obovate, shallowly 3-lobed, basal ridges ca.� mrn, margins sparsely fimbriate laterally, distally fimbriate­crisped, disk with long orange hairs: column 13.5 x 3 mrn. ventrally concave, arms ca. 3 mm. curved upward.

This species (Fig. 2) is vegetatively very much like S.

callosa (first described as Lindsayella amabilis). We found several plants in the area of Cordillera, and the largest of them has grown and flowered. The plant bore a capsule when found and the dried column was quite unlike that of S. callosa. When the first two buds appeared, they were closely watched, and 1 kept thinking ·'not yet, maybe tomorrow.'' Finally, I realized that the flowers might be self-pollinating. or cleistogamous. At that point, one of the buds was yellowish and shriveling. but the other was near "flowering." In its second year, the plant produced only one bud, but this one actually opened a bit. and made a better specimen. In 2004 the plant produced three inflorescences, each with one bud. Though the buds did not open, they remained in good condition for three days before witheting and setting fruit. I removed two of the capsules, and the plant has produced several more buds. CrossingS. exigtu.

with other small-flowered Sobralias might produce a nice dwarf plant with flowers that open, but so far, my attempts to cross S

exigua with S. mariannae or S. allenii have been quite fruitless.

DRESSLER- SIX 1\:EW SPECIES OF SOBRALIA FRO\l PA '-\\1 \

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet exigua means small or feeble. It .;,one of the smallest known Sobralias. and its flower production

w •. so far. been rather feeble. As \\ith some other white­-lowered species, includingS.Ieucoxamlw. the flowers quickly 'lain alcohol black. It is a measure ofTed Green· s fanatic interest .n Sobralia that he actually wanted a di\ ision of this plant.

Sobrafia kruskayae Dressler, sp. nov.

HOLOTY PE: Panama. Coclc: El Valle de Ant6n. flowered in ..:ultivationJuly-Aug. 2003; flowers white. with yellow in throat. 'orne brown or purple in base. Dressler 6383. MO. Jsotype: P�A.

Species Sobraliac Jeucoxanthae Rchb.f. similis, Jabello ecarinato columna remuliformic; rccedit.

Roots 3-6mm in diameter: stem 1-1.5 m tall: leaves 17-35 x 2.8-5.6 em. elliptic. long-acuminate, subpctiolate (to about 6 mm), sheathes <;lightly �triare. scurfy-punctate: bract cluMer 3-! x 0.6-0.8 em. striate. <,curfy-punctate. the outer bracts long­a..:uminate: ovaT) and pedicel 2.5-3 em: flowers white. with �ell ow in throat. some brown or purple within near base: dorsal -epa! �.8-5 - 1.2 em, lance-oblong. apiculate: lateral sepals 5-' 2 x 1-1.3 em, lance-oblong. apiculate: pctals4.8-5.7 x I .3-1.5 �m. oblong; lip 5.5-5.7 x 3.2-3.7 em. oblong-obovate. basal ndgesca. 7 mm.papillose. '"ithout keels: column ca. 25 mm. vef)

arro'" for ca.l8 mm. then abruptly ca. 5 mm wide. arms ca. 3.5 mm, curved upward and reachmg dorsal edge of column or -tpices in contact above column. column with IO\\, thick ridge ">elow.

This is another white-t1owered species (Fig. 3) that is dtstinct from all of the other would-be "S. leucoxcmtha" so far ... nown from Panama. It is distinct in the relatively narrow ,long­.H.:uminate leaves, in the rather porrect lip without keels. and in he slender. oar-shaped column. Also. the base of the lip is Ji.,tinctly concave in front of (and somewhat beneath) the basal ,dges. Part of the plant is cultivated in Florida and produced lowers in 2003. Though the plant was yet small and the leaves 'carcely half their normal size, the 11owers were almost exactly he same site as tho�e collected in F'inca Dracula the previous ear.

Fig. 3 Sobralia kruslwyae. \. Sohralw krll\ka_r(lt. in field. north of El Valle de Ant6n. Photograph: K. Dressler. B. T) pc plant •

latent! vie\\ of tlO\\Cr. in cultivation. Chiriqui. Panama. Photograph: K. Dres,lcr.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet of this specie� honors Licenciada Kntskaya de Melgarcjo. who was for several years head of the Depat1amento de Manejo de Vida Silve:-.tre or A.N.A.M. (Autoridad Nacional de Ambiente, Panama). Kruskaya is a

pleasant person and very competent in her work. She recognizes the need to study rhe orchids (and other plants and animals) of Panama and does everything she can to facilitate permits for the c.:ollecting and exchange of materials for scientific study .1' m told that she has been promoted and is nO\\ in charge of the Departamento de Areas Protejida!> y Vida Si lve�trc. The last few years has .. een the description of many new species from Panama. with voucher., or l) pe specimens deposited in the Herbarium of the University of Panama. This was made possible b) Kruska) a· s enthw.ia�tic collaboration.

SPEClME 'S: Other specimens seen from same area: 28 Apr. 1982. Dn !>.\ler 60-10 (MO): pressed from cult.. II Sept. 2002. Maduro y Olmos 292 (FLAS. PMA).

Sobralia recta Dressler, sp. nov.

HOLOTYPE: Panama. Bocas del Toro. 800 m .. llorecioen cultivo 12 Sept. 2002. A. Maduro y E. Olmos 295 MO. botype: PM A.

A Sobraliae hellcri A.D.Hawkcs labello recto non reflexo recedit.

Caespitose. terrestrial. roots 4-6 mm in diameter: stems 1.5-2.5mx0.9-l cm(basally); leaves 17 25x5.5-10.5cm.ovate. acuminate, subpetiolate ({r 7 mm), sheaths striate slightly scurfy; tloralbractclustcr6x 1.2- 1.3 cm;ovaryandpedicelca. l6mm; sepals pale green, petals white, lip flesh-pink with white blotch ncar apex: base of flower forming a definite floral tube about l em long: dorsal �epa I ca. 5.5 x l . 9 em. elliptic-oblong, apiculate: lateral sepals ca. 5 x 2 em. oboYatc-elliptic. apiculatc; petals ca. 5 x 2 cm. obovate-clliptic. apiculate: lip ca. 5. 7-5.8 x 3.2-4.6 mm. cuneate-obo\'ate. weakly 3-lobed. basal ridges ca. 2 cm. without

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DRESSLER - SIX NEW SPECIES OF SOBRALIA FROM PANAMA

keels. margin� undulate di!.tally fimbriate-crisped. midlobe not ret1exed: column 4.5 em. shallowly sigmoid, ca. 3 mm basally, with 2lateral keels. distally 9 mm wide, 8 mm high, arms 6-7 x2.5-3 mm, lanceolatc, keeled, shallowly curved upward.

This huge plant(Fig. 4) with wide leaves is very like that of S. helleri Hawkes, to which it is probably closely related. It differs from that species in the straight (not reflexed) lip. in coloration and in the more strongly marked cross-veins of the leaves.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet recta. or straight. refers to the nonreflexed hp.

Sobralia theobromina Dressler, sp. nov. HOLOTYPE: Panama. pro". Cocle: El Vaile de Anton. 800-

1000 m. Cult. en Finca Dracula. tloreci6 12 Sept. 2002 ·•ta chocolato�a:· A . .'vladuro' E. Olmos 293. MO.lsotype: PMA.

Sobraliae chrysosromae Dressler similis. <;ed Ia belli lamina brcviore obtusirer contractu coloris badio-castaneis differt.

Caespitose. epiphytic or terrestrial. roots ca. 6 mm in diameter: stem\ 1-1.5 m. ca. 5-6 mm in diameter; leaves 13-19 x 4-7.3 em. ovate, �hort-acuminate. blades furfuraceous beneath. with hispid veins. sheathf> striate, rugulose; bract cluster 4-5 x 1-1.2 em, striate, hispid-furfuraccous; ovary and pedicel 3.5-4 em; flowers white. blade of lip pale reddish brown; dorsal sepal 6-7 x 1.8-2.5 em, elliptic or narrowly obovate, acute-apicu1ate;

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Fig. 4. Sobrafia n•cta. Type plant, in cultivation, Chiriqui. Panama Photograph: E. Olmos.

lateral sepals 6-7 x 2-2.4cm, elliptic or narrowly obovate, acuk apiculate; petals 24 x 4 mm, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, apiculatc lip 6.2 x 3.3 em, cuncate-obovate. obtuse; lip 6.3-7.2 x 4.7-4 em. cuneate. obovate. blade distinctly narrowed, basal ridges--8 mm, well �eparated. verruculose between ridges, with 7-8lo keels. margin somewhat ruffled; column 4-4.2 em, arms ca. 3 � x 2 mm, upcurved. column trigonous. below with 2 raised kee and between them a rai�;cd plate with 3 furrows.

ETYMOLOGY: This is the species known as ··

chocolatosa" in El Valle de Anton. though the color seems· me closer to cafe collleche than to chocolate (Fig. 5). Since t ... e people of El Valle have chosen chocolate, I use the epith� theobromi11a. referring. of course. to Theobroma cacao. c e source of chocolate. This is certainly the same species that illustrated in 200 I as being a variant of S. chrysostoma, and i its details. S. theobromi11a resembles S. chrysostoma muc more than it does S. citrea. Sobralia theobromina differs frorr: both S. chrysostoma and S. citrea in lip color, in the smaller abruptly tapering blade of the lip. and in the leaves that are mor fwfuraceous beneath and with veins that are distinctly hispH .. If one spreads the lips, all three species are about 5 em wide w

the widest point. but in S. theobromina the blade (the colore

DRfSSU:R- SIX 1\'1-W SPECIES OF SOBRr\1./r\ I·RO�t PA:-=,\\IA

Fig 5. Snbralia theohromina. T� pc plnnt. in culti\'lllion, Chiriqui, Panama. Photograph: K. Dre"ler.

portion) i'> ahout .2.5 em wide at the midP<1int. w hilc the lip.., of other) cliO\\ -ltppcd 'pecic.., are about 4 c Ill wide at the midpoint.

A<. implied b) the name, thc lipofthi'> '>pccic-. ;, more brown than yellow. I would dc<;cribe the lip "" pale reddish brown or ·old gold.'' The varioU'. meanings of "brown" are difficult

�nough in Engli�h. In Spanish. "ca<;tat)o," "moreno,'' "pardo.'' .. cafe'' and ''chocolate." are all used but not ncce.,,arily for different color,, R:uhcr thc'e arc the pn.:ferrcd term<. in different area-. or culture,.

SPECI�1 t 'S Other 'pccimcn' 'ecn from the 'a me area: 6 :\o\ . 2001.Mcu/r11o .' 0/mo.\ 232 r A. ·\S. P\1:\J: 20 '>.;ov. 2003 . • \fadum y 0/mm J 17 (P�t:\. Sf.L): \ug. Sep. 2003. Dressler 6-101. (�10. P�1A).

Sobralia tricolor Dressler, .\p. mm

HOLOTYPE: P•m.ml<t. Cocll!: F.l \"alledc Ant6n.800-I<XX>m. tloreci6 en Fine a Drticula. I 2 Sep. 2002 • .\laduro y Olmos 297

MO. J,Ot) pe: P�tA. In ter 'pccie' gencn' Sobraliue floribu' ma,gnitudine

mediana, tricoloribu' (albi,. lutci,, pupurci,que ). 'epali'

lateralibu' in,igniter falca ti' digno,cenda. Rooh � 5mrnindiumeter;,tcm,0.75-I mx0.6cmbasall):

leaYe� 15 21 x ll -t2 em. elliptic. long-,11:uminate; 'heaths , tria te: bract clu'> ter' 3 x0.7 em. elliptic. 'triate, 'light I) scurfy:

0\'at)' and jXtliccl2 2.8cm: Oower. white.\\ ith yciJO\\ \'entrally in throat and pmpJi,h-brown �pot� laterully ncar base: dorsal 'epa14.3 5.2 x 0.9 I em. ohlong -oblanccolate. apiculute: lateral

epaJ,4.3 -tR x 1.1-1.3. oblong. apiculate: petal-. 4.5-4.7 x 1-

Fig. 6. Sobmlia tricolor. Type plant. in culla\auon. Chiriqui, Panama. Photograph: K. Dre"ler.

1.1 em. oblanceolate-oblon,g. fa kate. upiculatc: lip+ 5.5 x 2.7-

3 em, O \ ate." eakly 3-Jobcd. midlohc I.� x 2 em. ero,c. piJo,e. ba�al keel<; ca. 8 mm long. with �event! low ked' from base: column ca. 2.2 em .. 2 mm wide ha\ally. 5 mm wide apically. slightly "winged" throughout.arm� 2.2 x I n11n.lightly curved, anther keeled .

Thi' 'J><!ciC' (Fig. 6) ha' rather -.mull flm\cr' with narrO\\ segment' and falcate ("bow-legged'') latcral 'cpal .... his ea<.il) recogni1ed b) the three different colors. white, yellow and red­purple.

A Nnre C'll Sobrallu xglori ac - I nO\\ feel 'urc that m y fiN imprec;sion of S. x s:lnriae \\a' correct. an thnt it h probably a natural hybrid bet\\ cen S. atmpube,cc'/1\ and -.omc white­

flowered 'pecie,, Con,idcring the number ol white-flO\\Cred specie� known from El \'aile. the \\ hitc-flow ercd parent species

may 'till be unde�cribed and the e'\a<:t parcntagcofS . x «lorrae

remain' a Ill} 'tef) for nO\\.

LITER 'n Rt-: Cl• f.o Dre"Jer. R L. 200 I. T'' n s\,hr.•h••'· Solmtlia chryw.\foma

;, de,cribcd and the idcntll) of Sobmlia /eucoxantlw is

resolved. Orchid.\ 70:750-751.

_. 2002. The major section' or groups within So/milia,

with four new species from Panama and ('o<,ta Rica. S. cris­

pissima. S. �loria11a. S. maricmiiC/(' :md S. llllltlll\, Lallke.'i­tericma 5: 9� 15.

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