Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B
113
119- 132
Wien, April2012
Illustrations and Studies io Neotropical Orchidaceae.
3. 00 the identity of Dracontia pachyglossa aod D. ramonensis;
with a new species, D. lueriana (Pleurothallidinae)
Adam P. Karremans*
Abstract
The Costa Rican Dracontia ramonensis is discussed and illustrated . It had been already illustrated as early
as 1867 by A.R. Endrés, but only described in 1923 by Rudolf Schlechter. Costa Ri can specimens of that
species have been misidentified as Dracontia pachyglossa, a species known only from Mexico and Guatemala. Additionally the name Dracontia ramonensis has been incorrectly applied to an unnamed species from
Costa Rica, here described and illustrated as D. lueriana.
Keywords. Costa Rica, Orchidaceae, Dracontia, D. pachyglossa, D. lueriana, D. ramonensis, C.A. Luer.
Introduction
This paper was prepared as part of the series "IIIustrations and studies in Neotropical
Orchidaceae", by the staff at Lankester Botanical Garden (JBL), University of Costa
Rica, aimed at discussing and illustrating small groups of closely related species (Pu puL1N & BOGARíN 20 I O). Pleurothallidinae are one of the main subjects of current research
programs at JBL. Species of Pleurothallis R. BR. subgenus Dracontia were transferred
to Stelis Sw. by PRIDGEON & CHAS E (200 I) and subsequently to Dracontia LU ER (LU ER
2004). DNA based studies by PRIDGEON et aI. (2001) and KARREMANS (2010) show that
the group is in effect closer to Stelis than to Pleurothallis. However, as discussed by KARREMANS (20 I O; 20 II), the Dracontia form a well supported monophyletic c1ade which
can easily be defined using morphological features. Keeping this group ofspecies (and a
few others) separate from Stelis also helps to better define Stelis itself on morphological
grounds without loosing DNA based clade support. As such Dracontia includes some
20 species, found from Mexico to Panam a and the Antilles. More than three quarters of
the species have been reported to be found in Costa Rica, severa I {lf which still await
description.
Taxonomic history of Dracontia ramonensis
The history ofthis species remounts to 1867, when August R. Endrés lived in San Ramón ,
Costa Rica, were he then profusely collected plants (OSSEN BACH et aI. 20 10). Endrés not
only sent many dried specimens to Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, the leading authority
*
Lankester Botanical Garden, University of Costa Rica, P.O. Box 302-7050 Cartago, Costa Rica. - Ángel
Andreetta Andean Orchids Research Center, University Alfredo Pérez Guerrero, Ecuador. - NCB Natura lis - NHN Universiteit Leiden, The Netherlands. - adam.karremans@ ucr.ac.cr
120
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 11 3
/f I .
I
/;
Fig. 1: Dracontia ramonens is . IlIustration by A.R. Endrés based on Endrés 41 .
on orchids at the time, but also prepared detailed sketches and descriptions of many of
the species he found. One ofthe plants he collected, sketched and characterized was his
number 41 , preserved at W (Fig. 1 & 2). L.A. Garay determined this plant in 1957 as
Pleurothallis pachyglossa LINDL. , and the specimen was used as one of the two Costa
KARREMANS:
IIlustrations and Studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae
121
Fig. 2: Dracontia ramonensis. Description by A.R. Endrés based on Endrés 41.
Rican vouchers of that species by c.A. Luer in his treatment of Pleurothallis subgenus
Dracontia (LUER 1998).
Pleurothallis pachyglossa was described in 1840 by John Lindley, based on a plant from
Mexico. The species, as noted, has an outstanding flower size and is quite attractive; it
can be recognized by the thick tongue-like lip which thickens towards the apex and is
verrucose-papillose. Luer gave P pachyglossa a wide distribution, pointing out that it is
quite common in Mexico and Guatemala, absent in Honduras, EI Salvador and Nicaragua, antl uncommon in Costa Rica (LUER 1998). As cIearly illustrated by Endrés and successively noted by Ames on the herbarium specimen ofthis species, the lip ofthe species
from Costa Rican is inomate and narrow, much different from that of P pachyglossa.
ln 1923, Rudolf Schlechter described Pleurothallis ramonensis from a plant collected
by Alberto Manuel Brenes at San Pedro de San Ramón in Costa Rica. As with most of
Schlechter's species, the type specimen was lost and no drawing ofthe original material
was apparently made. The species was lectotypified by K. BARRJNGER (1986) and again
by LUER (1998) using an isotype kept at AMES (Fig. 3). The lectotype shows a small
plant with several ramicauls, a few short leaves, and a short inflorescence. On that specirnen C. Schweinfurth wrote "flowers are rather poor", but unfortunately they are not
present (anymore?) at ali (G.A. ROMERO pers. comm.).
Curiously enough, not only are Dracontia (Pleurothallis) pachyglossa (LINDL.) LU ER
and Dracontia (Pleurothallis) ramonensis (SCHLTR.) LUER different species, but there is
a third . When C.A. Luer discussed and illustrated P ramonensis (LUER 1998) he used
a plant cu1tivated in the Netherlands, collected by J. Wubben. Wubben 's plant had thin
leaves (about 1 cm wide) and large dark flowers , a combination of features consistent
with P ramonensis, and the fact that it had been collected in the sarne location as P ramonensis, at San Ramón in Costa Rica, lead the author to suspect they were the sarne.
However, that is not the case. No specirnen ofthe plant iIlustrated by LUER (1998), with
its long and narrow leaves, many-flowered inflorescences and ernarginate petals, are
conserved arnong A.M. Brenes ' herbarium specimen materiais, while he collected D.
pachyglossa rnany times. Afier a careful reconsideration of the original protologue, the
study ofthe lectotype and of an additional specimen of A.M Brenes 88 (J 295) at AMES
(a specimen with the sarne number as the type material but with different collection date)
(Fig. 4), it becomes evident that Luer's illustration represents a distinct and unnarned
species, described herein.
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, a, 11 3
122
n...- セMx@
セ@
MpNャBセ@
セ@
ヲNjMセ@
.... -A... -----(l.-.,....カセ@
'I--..J. )--- N・セL@
11
....... セNZエ[j@
". __
セ@
-l....t
Olkea Ames Orchld H.'barlum
ョZNセv|エiaゥs@
\\a.u. (' \St\....Q.1lif
セヲ
Gヲ セBQ@
t:.- e \ciG."\C. l1\o.i.
. Det.: G.A. AotMro I.
W|セ@
. .BオGエセ|@
K'''1 BGッLセウM@
l" . n ,
&t.....t-tf .
\",r.,
J-. ((. n e.W..l
HセBGッoiエNLェ|U@
'Sc.\...\\r.
Gᅪセ
GB G|BエN@
.•--
," .-
!!MAGEDI
セ[ヲl
N@
セN@
セjN@
,,_ _
.
JtU- - /;' L I
,fod4.
セN@
Fig. 3: Lectotype of Dracontia (Pleurothallis) ramonensis, A.M. Brenes 88, kept at AMES. Reproduced under the kind perrnission ofthe Director, Harvard University Herbaria.
KA RREMANS:
123
IlIustrations and Studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae
HERBARIUM OF OAKES AMES
43805
'-')'
i
o
Z
rJ)
I'<l
セ@
セ@
-<
セ@
U
rJ)
I'<l
I'<l
::.:
-<
-< I'<l
-< E-<
O OrJ) u-<
O
...O
U
::E
...O us:
;:J
ca
p::
p::O
-<
O
al
p::
[;I;l
セ@
-<
...:l
::r:
:>-
p::j
o
'"
''""
''o""''
(,,)
F
U
Fig. 4: Specimen of Dracontia ramonensis, A.M. Brenes 88 (1295) kept at AMES, not part of
the type material. - Reproduced under the kind permission of the Director, Harvard University
Herbaria.
Taxonomic treatment
Dracontia pachyglossa (LrNDL.) L UER, Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 95: 257
(2004)
Pleurothal/is pachyglossa LINDL. , Edwards's Bot. Reg. 26: Misc. 68 (1840)
== Stelis pachyglossa (LINDL.) PRlDGEON & M.W. CHASE, Lindleyana 16 (4): 265 (2001).
124
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 113
Type: Mexico, without locality, imported and cultivated in England by a Mr. Barker, s.n .
[K!].
Pleurothallis conanthera RCHB.f., Xenia Orchidaceae 3: 41 (1900).
Type: Mexico, Veracruz, Córdoba, flowered in cultivation Mar. 1878, in Erfurt, Germany, by Raage & Schmidt s.n. [W, illustration oftype!].
Pleurothallisformosa SCHLTR., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 291 (1912).
Type: Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, in forest near Cobán, alt. 1600 m, Oct. 1907 R. v. Tuerckheim 11-1995 [holotype W, isotypesAMES!, BM, BR, RB, US; drawing oftype!].
Epiphytic, caespitose (shortly creeping), sometimes prolific, erect herb, up to about 20
cm tall. Roots basal, filiform. Ramicauls terete, 2-18 cm long, more commonly around
6 cm, enclosed by a thin tubular sheath bom below and ending just below the apex,
l.5- 3.5 cm long, and with two basal sheaths. Leaves erect to suberect, leathery, elliptic,
petiolate, acute, apex emarginate and apiculate, 2.2-8.5 x 1.0-2.9 cm, most commonly
about 7 x 2.5 cm. Inflorescence successive, racemose, secund, apical, produced singly
from a spathaceous bract, pedunc1e 4-15 cm and rachis at least up to 10- 20 cm longo
Floral bracts short, acute, 5- 7 mm longoPedicel cylindrical, 8- 15 mm long curved, ovaI)'
straight, somewhat rugose, 4-6 mm long. Flowers few (1-4), one (two?) open at a time,
suffused with purple, petals transparent-yellowish with 3 dark purple stripes, papillae
white or purple. Sepals glabrous, the dorsal sepal elliptic, shortly acuminate, concave,
15- 20 x 7 mm, 3-veined; the lateral sepals connate to the apex into an ovate-elliptic,
bifid, concave lamina, 16- 22 x 10 mm, 6 veined. Petals concave, embracing the column, elliptic, obtuse, papillose extemally, shallowly papillose intemally on the veins and
c10se to the involute apex, rounded, 6-10 x 3-6 mm, with 3 veins promi'nently colored,
especially above the middle. Lip somewhat twisted downward, fleshy, 3-lobed, 10- 17
mm long and 2.5- 3.5 mm wide, apical.lobe thick, conspicuously thickening towards the
apex, ligulate-elliptic, obtuse, minute papillose, with a whitish glabrous midline depression, with two prominent depressions c10se to the base on each side of it, lateral lobes
basal, erect, elliptic, inconspicuous, base of the lip hinged to the tip of the column-foot.
Column semiterete, conical, 2 mm long, with a short, thin, incurved column foot, with
a white bubble-like rostellum. Anther membraneous, helm-like, prominent. Pollinaria 2,
subglobose, with two flat, transparent, whale-taillike caudic1es.
Oerivation of the name: from the Greek pachy "thick" and glossa "tongue", in reference
to the lip.
Specimens: Mexico. Puebla, near Mecaxa, alt. 1000 m, 24 Aug. 1924 E. Hultén 3962 [AMES] ; - Sierra
Santa Marta, San Andis Tuxtla, 15 Mar. 1968 M. Sousa 3585 [AMES] ; - flowered in cultivation, Nov. 1979
E. Hágsater & J. Gómez 3959 [AMES, AMO] ; - Oaxaca: southwest of La Esperanza, alt. 1650 m, I Nov.
1977 M. Sousa & O. Tellez 8820 [AMO, K] .
Guatemala. Alta Verapaz, Cobán. near Sanchamach, alt. 4,500 fi. , Nov. 1877 H. v. Tuerckheim 12 [W] ; sarne locality, alt. 4,500 fi. Jan. 1888 H. v. Tuerckheim 799 [BR, K] ; - between Chamá and Cobán, alt. 3,000
fi., 16 Oct. 1920 H. Johnson 828 [AMES] ; - sarne area, s.dat. O. Mittelstaedt, flowered in cultivation in
Cobán, 27 Nov. 1990 C. Luer 14844 [MO; illustration in LUER 1998]; - between Cobán and Siguanhá, Chicocon, alt. 4,500 fi., s.dat. O. Mittelstaedt, flowered in cultivation in Cobán, 13 Feb. 1990 C. Luer 14612 [MO].
Without collecting data: plant introduced from J. Wubben 's private orchid collection, flowered in cultivation in the Hortus Botanicus of Leiden Úniversity in The Netherlands, 20 Dec. 20 II Karremans 4822
[L-Spirit!].
KARR EMANS: Illustrations and Studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae
125
Other Records: Mexico. Without specific locality [Fig. 23 in KARR EMANS 20 II] .
ONA barcode: Internal Trascribed Spacer (ITS) and maturase K (matK) sequences of
Karremans 4822 will shortly be available in the GenBank data base.
Oistribution and habitat: only know from the south of Mexico and Guatemala.
Phenology: the plant flowers at least from November to lanuary in culture.
Dracontia ramonensis (SCHLTR.) L UER, Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 95: 257
(2004) - Fig. 5.
Pleurothallis ramonensis SCHLTR. , Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih . 19: 193- 194
(1923)
Stelis ramonensis (SCHLTR.) PRIDG EON & M.W. CHASE, Lindleyana 16 (4): 266 (2001),
nom. illeg. , non Stelis ramonensis SCHLTR. (1923)
Stelis alajuelensis PRIDGEON & M. W. CHASE, Lindleyana 17 (2): 98 (2002).
Type: Costa Rica. Bois hum ides. San Pedro de San Ramón , alt. 1150 m, lul 1921, A.M.
Brenes 88 [holotype B lost, lectotype (designated by BARRfNGER 1986) AMES!].
Epiphytic, caespitose, erect herb, up to about 16 cm tall. Roots basal, filiform. Ramicauls
terete, 7- 8 cm long, enclosed by a thin tubular sheath bom below and endingjust above the
middle, and with two basal sheaths. Leaves erect, coriaceous, elliptic, sessile, obtuse, apex
emarginate and apiculate, the largest up to 60-70 x 20-21 mm. Inflorescences successive,
racemose, secund, apical, produced in succession from the sarne spathaceous bract over
time, appearing as a fascicle, peduncle 10 cm and rachis 4-6 cm long. Floral bracts short,
acute, 4- 5 mm long. Pedicel cylindrical, II mm long, ovary 5 mm long. Flowers at least 4,
I open at a time,dark purple, the petals pale yellow with 3 purple stripes. Sepals glabrous,
incurved, the dorsal sepal elliptic, acute, concave, 21 mm long and 8 mm wide, 3-veined;
the lateral sepals connate to near the apex into an elliptical, bifid, deeply concave lamina,
21 - 22 mm long and 15 mm wide, 6-veined. Petals concave, embracing the column, narrowly ovate, acute, yellow-papillose externally, apex involute, rounded , 10 mm long and
5-6 mm wide, with 3 veins prominently colored above the middle. 1iQ twisted straight
downward , fleshy, inornate, 3-lobed, 14 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, apical lobe shinny,
thick, elliptical, obtuse, laterallobes basal, erect, triangular, inconspicuous, base ofthe lip
hinged to the tip ofthe column-foot. Column semiterete, conical, 3 mm long, with a short,
thick, slightly incurved column foot. Anther membranecous, helm-like, prominent. Pollinaria 2, subglobose, with two flat, transparent, whale-tail like caudicles.
Oerivation of the name: named after San Ramón in Costa Rica where the type material
was collected.
Specimens: Costa Rica, Puntarenas: Puntarenas. La Pitahaya. Rincón. Los Planes de Monestel. IOoI5 '20"N
84°41 ' 50" W, 1400 m. Epífita morada. 31 de Mayo 1996 G. Herrera 9105, P. Kuss, O. & w. Badilla [C RI];
- Reserva Biológica Monteverde Río Veracruz. IOoI6 ' N 84°22 ' W, 1300 m, 4 May 1991 Erick Bello 2764,
Eladio & Roy Cruz [INB! ]; - Sarne locality, 4 May 1991 Erick Bello 2729, Eladio & Roy Cruz [INB!] ;
- Reserva Biológica Monteverde, lower montane wet and rain forest, IOoI8'N 84°47' W, 1500-1600m. Epiphyte in tree trunk, road/forest edge, 26 Jul y 1988 William Haber 8522, Willow Zuchowski & David de
Laubenfels [INB!] ; - Alajuela: San Ram ón, Santiago, mountains toward Las Torres de Berlín, 10002 '22"N
84°29 ' 0 I " W, 1340 m, lower montane wet forest, epiphytic in primary forest and secondary vegetation along
pastures and coffee plantations, 2 Aug. 2003 F. Pupulin 4900, M. Pupulin, C. Pupulin, E. Salas, H. LeónPáez, D. Bogarín & E. Serrano [JBL-Spirit!, CRI] ; - San Ramón, Santiago, finca of Jes ús Salas Jiménez,
mountains toward the towers of Berlín, I 0002 ' 22"N 84°29'0 I " W, 1350 m, lower montane rain forest, epi-
126
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 113
.....
E
fJ g セHセ
;'
c
5mm
N@
セ@
1 mm
1 cm
Fig. 5: A-G. Dracontia ramonensis SCHLTR. (LUER): (A) Habit. (B) Flower. (C) Dissected perianth. (D) Column and lip, lateral view. (E) Column side view. (F) Lip front and back view. (G)
Pollinarium and anther cap. - Drawings based on F. Pupulin 5437 by Adam P. Karremans.
KARREMANS:
127
IllustratiollS and Studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae
D
5mm
m
F
E
c
N セ@
1 mm
5mm
1 cm
Fig. 6: A- F. Dracontia lueriana KARREMANS: (A) Habit. (B) Flower. (C) Dissected perianth. (D)
Column and lip, lateral view. (E) Column. (F) Pollinarium and anther cap. - Drawings based on
JBL-00819 by Adam P. Karremans.
128
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 113
Fig. 7: Flower comparisons. (A) Dracontia ramonensis [Brenes 88 (1295)] ; (B) Dracontia ramonensis (Pupulin 5437); (C) Dracontia lueriana; (D) Dracontia pachyglossa (Karremans 4822,
courtesy ofRogier v. Vugt, L).
phytic in primary vegetation, 25 December 2004 F. Pupulin 5437, E. Salas-Pupulin, S. Dalstrõm, C. Lewis
& J. Salas [JBL-Spirit! , CRI (IIIustration voucher)] ; - San Ramón, Berlin, s.d. D.E. Mora s.n. [OSJ!] ; - San
Ramón, La Palma, alt. 1160 m, 30 de Octubre 1922 A.M. Brenes 390 (95) [CRI]; - San Ramón, La Palma,
alto 1175 m, 26 de Agosto 1924 A.M. Brenes 2286 (180) [CRI] ; - San Ramón, Los Ángeles, 2 de Agosto
1932 A.M. Brenes 16234 (16) [CRI]; - San Ramón, San Pedro, alt. 1125 m, 20 de Mayo 1923 A.M. Brenes
2062 (584) [CRI]; - San Ramón, La Palma, 3-10 de Agosto 1935 M. Quirós 155 (169) [CRI] ; - San Ramón :
San Pedro, alt. 1190 m, 18 Nov. 1923 A.M. Brenes 142 [AMES!] ; - San Ramón. Colinas de San Pedro de
San Ramón, alto 1125m. 18 VII 1924 A.M. Brenes 2220 (45) [CRI]; - without specific locality, 1867 A.R.
Endres 41 [W!] ; - without specific locality, Rafael L. Rodriguez 1408 [OSJ! ; IIIustration 822, not seen].
Other records: Costa Rica, Alajuela, San Ramón, Pupulin 4900 [Fig. 20 in KARREMA NS 20 11]; - San Ramón,
Pupulin 5437 [Fig. 21 & Fig. 22 in KARR EMANS 2011].
DNA barcode: Internal Trascribed Spacer (ITS) and maturas e K (malK) sequences ofF.
Pupulin 4900 will shortly be available in the GenBank data base.
Distribution and habitat: It is only known to grow in Costa Rica, and although not uncommonly found in herbaria and private collections, all plants seems to come from basically the sarne area around San Ramón of Alajuela. It grows epiphytically in lower
montane wet forests at altitudes between 1160 and 1400 m.
Phenology: the plant fiowers at least from May to September.
Dracontia /ueriana KARREMANS sp.n. - Fig. 6.
Type: Costa Rica. San José: Pérez Zeledón, San Isidro de EI General, carretera a Dominical, desvío a Pacuarito, Bijaguales, Quebrada Valerio, 9°17'35.5" N 83 °45'24.00"
W, 1002 m, bosque húmedo premontano, en bosque secundario alterado y árboles en
potreros, 23 Octubre 2005 D. Bogarín 1987, R.L. Dressler, R. Gómez, A.P. Karremans, F. Pupulin, A. Rambelli & S. Rambelli [holotype JBL-Spirit D3648! ; isotypes
CR!, JBL-Spirit!].
Diagnosis: Species D. ramonense (SCHLTR.) LUER similis, sed foliis linearibus, infiorescentia multifiora, ovario curvo, petalis emarginatis, labello verrucoso minore differt.
Epiphytic, caespitose, erect herb, up to about 30 cm tall. Roots basal, filiform. Ramicauls terete, 4-15 cm long, more. commonly around 10 cm, enclosed by a thin tubular
KARR EMANS:
llIustrations and Studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae
129
Fig. 8: Habit comparisons. (A) Dracontia pachyglossa (Karremans 4822); (B) Dracontia ramonensis (Pupulin 5437); (C) Dracontia lueriana (JBL-00819).
130
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 113
sheath bom below and ending just above the middle, 2.5-5.5 cm long, and with two
basal sheaths. Leaves erect, coriaceous, linear-narrowly elliptic, sessile, acute, apex
emarginate and apiculate, 5.5- 15 x 0.9- 1.9 cm, most commonly about 11 x 1.3 cm. 1nflorescence successive, racemose, secund, apical, produced in succession from the sarne
spathaceous bract over time, appearing as a fascicle, peduncle 3.5-9.0 cm and rachis at
least up to 14 cm longo Floral bracts short, acute, 8 mm longo Pedicel cylindrical, with
black crystals, 7- 14 mm long, ovary bent, with black crystals, 5 mm longo Flowers many
(at least 11), a few open at a time, strongly suffused with dark purple, petals pale whitishyellow with 3 purple stripes, margins purple, papillae white or purple. Sepals glabrous
intemally, hirsute on the margins, the dorsal very much incurved, while the synsepal
perfectly straight but placed parallel to the rachis, the dorsal sepal elliptic, acute, shortly
acuminate, concave, 15- 20 x 5.0- 5.5 mm, 3-veined; the lateral sepals connate to near
the apex into an elliptical-sub orbicular, bifid, deeply concave lamina, 18- 20 x 9 mm,
6 veined. Petals concave, embracing the colurnn, elliptic, obtuse, emarginate, papillose
extemally, shallowly lamellate intemally, apex involute, rounded, 4-5 x 3 mm, with 3
veins prominently colored above the middle. Lip somewhat twisted downward, fleshy,
3-lobed, 6- 7 mm long and 2 mm wide, apicallobe thick, triangular-ovate, acute, having
a sort of minutely cellular-papillose depressed lamina with tall shallowly verrucose margins, apex lowly dentate, lateral lobes basal, erect, elliptic, inconspicuous, base of the
lip hinged to the tip ofthe colurnn-foot. Colurnn semiterete, conical, 2 mm long, with a
short, thin, incurved colurnn foot, with a white bubble-like rostellum. Anther membraneous, helm-like, prominent. Pollinaria 2, subglobose, with two flat, transparent, whale-tail
like caudicles.
Derivation of the name: Dedicated to Carlyle A. Luer, recognized expert in the Pleurothalllidinae, who for the first time illustrated and characterized this species.
Specimens: Costa Rica . Alajuela, San Ramón, Ángeles, Reserva Biológica Alberto M. Brenes, 10° 13 '08.5"
N 84°35 '48.4" W, 900-1000 m, ascenso por deI Sendero Sai no, bosque muy húmedo tropical transición a
premontano, epífitas en bosque secundario, 25 Setiembre 2005 D. Bogarín 1926 [JBL-Spirit E0490!] ; - San
Carlos, Volcán Chato. Sobre el sendero a la laguna de la cima de volcán, en bosque primario, muy húmedo
premontano, 10 0 26 ' 34"N 84°40 '5 1"W, 899 m. 26 de Julio 2011 A.P. Karremans 4394 [JBL-Spirit!]; sarne locality, A.P. Karremans 4395 [JBL-Spirit!] ; - without collecting data, JBL-00819 [JBL-Spirit! (IIlustration voucher)] ; - Alajuela, Reserva Biológica Monteverde, Río Penas Blancas, Finca de laun Cruz,
10° 19' N 84°4' W, 950-1000 m, epífita en árbol de bosque, 7 Dec. 1989 Eric Bello 1559 [INB!] ; - Road
from San Ramón to Santa Clara, kms. 7 to 12, before Alto de La Palma, alt. 1130-1230, 13 lu!. 1983 R.
Escobar & K. Anderson 2782 [CRI]; - Reserva Biológica A.M. Brenes, 850-1000 m, sin más datos de
colecta, floreción en cultivo en el lardín Botánico Lankester, G. Hoffmann s.n., JBL-00798, M. Blanco 1052
[USl!; JBL-Spirit D2023 i].
Other records : Costa· Rica. Alajuela, San Ramón, Wubben s.n. (illustration in L UER 1998); - San Ramón,
JBL-00819 (Fig. 25 in KARREMANS 2011; as Dracontia sp. 3); - Cartago, Turrialba, Moravia de Chirripó,
Pupulin 3658 (Fig. 24 in KARREMA NS 2011, as Dracontia sp. 3).
DNA barcode: Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and maturase K (matK) sequences of
D. Bogarín 1987 (type) can be found in GenBank under accesion numbers JF934870
and JF934810 respectively.
Distribution and habitat: although this species is scarce among herbarium material, it can
be found commonly in certain locations, such as the Alberto M. Brenes reserve in San
Ramón. It is endemic to Costa Rica, where it has been collected mostly around the San
KARREMANS: IlIustrations and Studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae
131
Ramón area of the Central Volcanic Range but also in the General Valley in the pacific
watershed on the Talamanca Cordillera.
Recognition
Dracontia ramonensis can be easily distinguished from D. pachyglossa by the ovate
petals with an incurved apex (vs. elliptic and straight apex), and the glabrous shiny lip,
which is thickest at the base and tapers to a thin and acute apex, and is twisted straight
downwards (vs. a papillose lip which is thick and obtuse at the apex, and is parallel to
the sepals). While D. lueriana can be distinguished from both other species by its large
plants with long narrow linear leaves (vs. short and elliptic), the multiflowered inflorescence with several flowers open at once (vs. inflorescence that has one open flower
at once), the flowers parallel to the rachis (vs. perpendicular), the curved ovary (vs.
straight) and the emarginate petals (vs. obtuse or acute). Additionally, D. ramonensis and
D. lueriana are only known fram Costa Rica, while D. pachyglossa is only known fram
Mexico and Guatemala. A comparison offlowers (Fig. 7) and habits (Fig. 8) is pravided.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Franco Pupulin and Diego Bogarín for their contributions towards the writing of this paper.
I am especially thankful to Gustavo Romero for helping in the finding of material kept and AMES and for
allowing me to use hi s material. I am in debt with Rogier van Vugt for letting use his photographs. J am also
grateful to J. Wubben for allowing me access to his private collection. This paper was prepared in partial
fu lfillment of the project Project 814-AO-052, "Flora Costaricensis: taxonomía y filogenia de la subtribu
Pleurothallidinae (Orchidaceae) en Costa Rica" and 8 14-B 1-239, "Fi logenia molecular de las especies de
Orchidaceae endémicas de Costa Rica", supported by the Vice-Presidency of Research, University of Costa
Rica. I am greatly in debt with the personnel of the Costa Rican herbaria, CR, fNB , JBL and USJ for the
access to their collections.
References
BARRINGER K. , 1986: Typification of Schlechter's Costa Rican Orchidaceae 1. Types Co llected by
A. Brenes. - Field. Bot. 17: 17.
KARREMANS A.P. , 20 I O: Phylogenetics of Ste/is (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) and c10sely related genera, based on molecular data, morphological characteristics and geographical distribution in the Central American and Andean Cordilleras. - MSc Thesis, Plant Sciences
Group and Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University.
KARREMANS A.P., 20 II : Dracontia, the little-known dragon orchids. - Orchids 80 (9): 560- 566.
LUER C.A., 1998: leones Pleurothallidinarum XVII. Systematics of subgen. Pleurothallis sect.
Abortivae, sect. Truncatae, sect. Pleurothal/is, subsect. Acroniae, subsect. Pleurothal/is,
subgen. Dracontia, subgen . Unciferia (Orchidaceae). - Monogr. Syst. 80t. Missouri Bot.
Gard. 72 : 65- 84.
LU ER C.A., 2004: leones Pleurothallidinarum XXVI. Pleurothal/is subgenus Acianthera and
three allied subgenera. A second century of new species of Ste/is of Ecuador. Epibator,
Ophidion, Zootrophion. - Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 95: 257.
OSSENBACHc., PUPULIN F. & JENNY R. , 20 I O: Orchid itineraries of Augustus R. Endrés in Central
America: A Biographic and Geographic Sketch. - Lankesteriana 10 (1): 19-47.
132
Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 113
PUPULlN F. & BOGARÍN 0 .,20 I O: IIlustrations and studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae - The Lepanlhes jimenezii group (Pleurothallidinae). - Harvard PapoBot. 15 (I) 111 - 121 .
PRIDGEON A.M. & CHASE M. w., 2001: A phylogenetic reclassification of Pleurothallidinae (Orchidaceae). - Lindleyana 16 (4): 235- 271.
PRIDGEON A.M., SOLANO R. & CHASE M .w., 200 I : Phylogenetic relationships in Pleurothallidinae
(Orchidaceae): combined evidence from nuclear and plastid DNA sequences. - Amer. J.
Bot. 88 (12): 2286-2308.