Lepanthes alegria T.Arias & J.S.Moreno, 2025

Arias, Tatiana, Moreno, Juan Sebastián, Restrepo, Eugenio, Alegría-Valencia, Melisa, Cadavid-Morales, David Emilio, Alarcón-Vinasco, Sergio Fernando, Davila, Camila & Zuluaga, Alejandro, 2025, Expedition Lepanthes (Orchidaceae) of Colombia: discovery of six new species and observations on a curious case of flower polymorphism, Phytotaxa 705 (2), pp. 115-148 : 126

2. Lepanthes alegria T.Arias & J.S.Moreno , sp. nov. ( Figures 6–8 , 21 )

Type:— COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Jardín, Reserva Orquídeas, 2,454 m, 11 October 2021, T. Arias & S. Vieira 1254 (holotype: CUVC!, isotype: SEL! Spirit).

Lepanthes alegria is most similar to Lepanthes davidii Gal.-Tar., Zuluaga & J.S. Moreno (2022: 86) . L. alegria has dark green leaves, often deep purple adaxially except at the margins (vs. uniformly purple leaves). The inflorescence is a loose, successively and sparsely flowered raceme (vs. congested, distichous). The dorsal sepal is pale red-purple to green, ovate, with an acuminate apex (vs. fulvous-yellow with a reddish-brown center). The lateral sepals have pale red-purple to green stripes along the middle, are ovate with slightly papillate margins (vs. ovate, oblique, slightly attenuate). The petals are dark green to light green with purple margins, pubescent (vs. dull green with a reddish-brown center). The lip is dark purple, saccate, and microscopically pubescent, with oblong blades and a short, subquadrate appendix with two lateral lobes (vs. bilaminate, with oblong-lunate blades and a bisegmented, recurved, pubescent appendix). L. alegria has a column with a widely dilated, bilobed stigma (vs. a bilobed column with short, triangular lobes and a large clinandrium).

Description:— Epiphytic herb, caespitose, medium to large, 13–19 cm tall. Roots thick, fasciculate, terete, attenuating slightly towards the apex, melrose pink, turning green towards the apex, new roots all length green, 1.5–2.1 mm wide. Ramicauls 6.7–17.8 cm long, enclosed by 7–12 narrowly lepanthiform sheaths, with acuminate dilated ostia, papillose along the ribs, with ciliate margins. Leaves dark green, often deep purple adaxially but not along the margins, reticulate-veined, veins lighter green, slightly coriaceous, ovate, caudate, 6.2–9.5 × 1.9–3.0 cm; the rounded base narrowing into a petiole 1.3–1.5 cm long. Inflorescence a loose, successively and sparsely flowered raceme, 2.9–5.0 cm long, growing adaxially on the leaf by a filiform peduncle 1.5–3.6 cm long; floral bracts acuminate to acute, 1.4–2.1 mm long; pedicels 3.8–5.0 mm long, melrose pink. Ovary costate, 2.4–3.1 mm long. Dorsal sepal suffused from pale red-purple to green to light green, ovate, with acuminate apex, revolute, slightly papillate margins, 4.6–5.0 × 3.4 mm, 3-veined, connate to the lateral sepals for 1.2–1.3 mm. Lateral sepals suffused wide with marginal stripes from pale red-purple to green to light, ovate, slightly papillate along the margins, acuminate apex, 4.0–4.5 × 2.0– 2.1 mm, connate 1.8–1.9 mm at its base, 2-veined. Petals dark green to lighter green suffused with purple towards the margins, pubescent, 4.1–7.5 mm long × 1.2–2.1 mm, transversely bilobed with a marginal process between the lobes, the upper lobe obliquely subquadrate, the inner angle of the obliquely truncate apex obtuse, the outer angle acute, the lower lobe longer, narrowly triangular, acute. Lip dark purple, body saccate bilaminate, microscopically pubescent, the blades oblong-lunate, with sub-acute base and apices, thin, flat, adherent medially to each other over the column, 1.7–2.3 mm × 0.5–0.7 mm, supported by cuneate, short, triangular connectives from near basal end, the body broad, rounded, adnate to the base of the column with an obtuse sinus, the appendix short, subquadrate, with two lateral short lobes. Column terete 1.6–1.8 mm, anther apical, anther cap pubescent, pollinia 0.7–0.8 mm, stigma ventral, bilobed widely dilated and inflated.

Distribution and ecology:— Lepanthes alegria was found in cloud forest of Jardin, Tamesis and Riosucio (Antioquia and Caldas departments) at 2,400 –2,800 m elevation.

Etymology:— The specific epithet has been chosen as a symbol of hope for all Colombians living in the few remaining forested mountains of Antioquia and Caldas, it is also a reflection of what the authors feel when studying orchids.

Additional material examined (paratypes):— COLOMBIA. Caldas: Riosucio, via Jardin–Riosucio, Truchera Los Alpes, Arroyo Hondo, 2,800 m, 12 October 2021, T. Arias et al. 715 (CUVC!, SEL! Spirit).

Taxonomic discussion:— This species has affinity, with other species such as Lepanthes brunnescens Luer (1984: 179) , L. davidii Gal.-Tar., Zuluaga & J.S.Moreno and L. ortegae Luer & Hirtz. In Luer (1996: 132) . Most of these species have a process of different shape and size emerging between the upper and lower lobes of the petal, the lip is saccate, with concavo-convex elliptical blades. These species also showed variation in terms of the fusion degrees of the lateral sepals and the appendix. Lepanthes alegria is most similar to Lepanthes davidii , but it differs from the latter by several characteristics. L. alegria has dark green leaves that are often deep purple adaxially, except along the margins, and measure 6.2–9.5 × 1.9–3.0 cm (vs. purple leaves, 6.1–6.9 × 2.3–3.4 cm). The inflorescence is a loose, successively and sparsely flowered raceme, up to 2.9–5.0 cm long (vs. with a congested, distichous raceme, 1.3–4.4 cm long). The dorsal sepal is suffused from pale red purple to green to light green, ovate, with an acuminate apex, measuring 4.6–5.0 × 3.4 mm (vs. fulvous-yellow sepals and a reddish-brown center on the dorsal sepal, 3.3–4.0 × 2.7–2.9 mm). The lateral sepals are suffused with marginal stripes from pale red purple to green to light green along the internal longitudinal middle, ovate with slightly papillate margins, measuring 4.0–4.5 × 2.0– 2.1 mm (vs. ovate, oblique, slightly attenuate lateral sepals, measuring 2.9–3.4 × 1.9–2.0 mm). The petals are dark green to lighter green suffused with purple towards the margins, pubescent, measuring 4.1–7.5 × 1.2–2.1 mm (vs. lobes dull green, reddish-brown in the center, measuring 0.9–1.3 × 4.3–6.5 mm). The lip is dark purple, saccate microscopically pubescent, with oblong, 1.7–2.3 × 0.5–0.7 mm, and a short, subquadrate appendix with two lateral short lobes (vs. a bilaminate lip, oblong-lunate blades, measuring 2.2–3.1 × 0.6–0.8 mm, and a bisegmented slender, recurved, pubescent appendix with an ovoid apical portion deflexed and the basal portion concave). Furthermore, Lepanthes alegria has a column with a widely dilated and inflated bilobed stigma (vs. bilobed column with short, lateral, triangular lobes measuring 1.5 mm long, and a large clinandrium).

Figures

FIGURE 6. In-situ photographs of Lepanthes alegria T.Arias & J.S. Moreno.A. Frontal view of inflorescence and flower. B. Lateral view of flower. C. Lateral view of the apical portion of the column showing details of the stigma and appendix. D. Frontal view of the apical portion of the column showing details of the stigma and appendix. Photographs by S. Vieira-Uribe.

FIGURE 7. Taxonomic illustration of Lepanthes alegria T.Arias & J.S. Moreno. A. Habit and plant. B. Frontal view of flower. C. Frontal view of dissected perianth. D. Lateral view of lip, column, appendix, and ovary. E. Frontal view of expanded lip and appendix. F. Pollinia and anther cap. Drawing by J. S. Moreno based on the holotype.

FIGURE 8. Comparison of Lepanthes alegria T. Arias & J.S. Moreno with a species with taxonomic affinities.A. Lepanthes alegria. B. Lepanthes davidii. Photographs by A: S. Vieira-Uribe. B: R. Galindo Tarazona.

FIGURE 21. Currently known geographical distribution of new species collected during the Lepanthes de Colombia expedition. The country highlighted in grey is Colombia. The map was created in R, based on code adapted from Testo (2021).