Benthamia corona Hermans & Hervouet, 2025

Hervouet, Jean-Michel, Descourvières, Pascal, Hermans, Johan & Longou, Ludivine, 2025, Revision of the genus Benthamia A. Rich. (Orchidaceae, Orchidioideae, Habenariinae), Adansonia (3) 47 (11), pp. 171-249 : 189-190

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5252/adansonia2025v47a11
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039B87AB-FFC0-FFF1-204F-F62D2E56C722
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Benthamia corona Hermans & Hervouet
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Benthamia corona Hermans & Hervouet , sp. nov.

( Figs 24 View FIG ; 25 View FIG ; 26 View FIG )

DIAGNOSIS. — Benthamia corona Hermans & Hervouet , sp. nov. is distinct by its epiphytic habit, narrowly elliptic leaves, long sheaths decreasing in length as they become floral bracts, its loosely spiral rachis, the yellowish-white flowers (large for the genus), with a long corolla tube, its distinctly trilobed lip with triangular lobes and an incurved midlobe, and its anther that lacks a distinct midlobe. It shares a similar habit and spur with Benthamia erinacea but has narrower leaves, a less dense rachis and a trilobed lip (vs entire). It is most similar to Benthamia nivea and Benthamia lakatoensis Descourv. & Hervouet , sp. nov. with which it shares the epiphytic habit, the sheath-floral bract arrangement, relatively large pale flowers and long corolla tube but differs by its narrowly elliptic (vs elliptic to ovate) leaves, flowers that are yellowish-white (vs pure white) and about 1/3rd smaller, the lobes of the lip that are triangular attenuate (vs obtuse to acute), its bi-globose flattened (vs globose-saccate) spur and its anther lacking a distinct midlobe.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Madagascar • Analamanga, Anjozorobe area, Hort. Malala Orchidées ; 2001; J. Hermans 5183; holotype: K !.

ETYMOLOGY. — The species epithet refers to the crown-like appearance of the flowers and its morphological resemblance to, and commemorating the coronavirus (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which resulted in a world pandemic from 2019 to 2022.

PHENOLOGY. — Flowering time is not known.

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — Madagascar. Only known from Tsaratanana in Diana region and from Anjozorobe area in Analamanga region. Altitude and habitat are not known, it is thought to be from medium altitude moist evergreen forest ( Fig. 25 View FIG ).

CONSERVATION. — The extent of occurrence (EOO) of Benthamia corona Hermans & Hervouet , sp. nov. cannot be estimated since it is only known from one locality and from cultivated material but given the limited collection it is estimated to be in Category CR (Critically Endangered) under criterion D if we estimate that there are fewer than 50 individuals in the wild.

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — Madagascar • Diana, Tsaratanana ; 14°01’17”S, 48°58’00”E; 1950; R.Paulian Jard.Bot.786; P [ P00692271 ] GoogleMaps !.

DESCRIPTION

Slender epiphytic herb, 5.5-12 cm tall. Tubers 1-2, ovoid to fusiform, woolly, 22-32 × 5-10 mm, roots wiry, glabrous, 0.6– 0.8 mm in diameter. Stem 3-5 mm in diameter, with 1-2 thin basal enveloping sheaths, then leaves, then 3-5 sheaths, 7-15 × 2-5 mm, decreasing in size until they merge with the floral bracts. Leaves 2-3, cauline with the base enveloping the stem for 5-11 mm, erect to arching, narrowly elliptic, attenuate, 3.5-11.5 × 0.4-0.8 cm, petiolate, almost flat, pale to dark green. Rachis up to 10 cm long, erect, pale green, loose in the upper half, with up to 30 spirally arranged flowers, developing acropetally with the lower flowers fertilized before the apical ones open. Floral bracts narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, somewhat incurved, decreasing considerably in size towards the apex with the basal ones more than twice the length of the ovary, the apical ones a little shorter, 6-13.5 × 1.1-1.8 mm, green. Ovary fusiform, at first erect then divergent, with three longitudinal ridges, 4.5-6.3 × 1.6-1.9 mm, pale green. Flowers large for the genus, fleshy, c. 3 × 3.5 × 5 mm long, corolla fused-tubular in the basal half; dorsal sepal recurved, narrowly elliptic, acute, 3.5-4.2 × 0.9-1.2 mm, greenish-white, green at the base; lateral sepals spreading to recurved, narrowly elliptic, margins involute, acute, 4.9-5.3 × 1.6-1.9 mm, greenish-white, green at the base; petals spreading, recurved,elliptic, the apex and anterior margin, thickened, erose,2.8-3.6 × 1-1.5 mm, creamy-white;lip distinctly trilobed, 4.3-4.6 × 3.9-4.4 mm, creamy-white, with lateral lobes decurved, triangular and attenuate and midlobe with the apex distinctly incurved; spur bi-globose, laterally flattened, 0.9-1.2 × 0.9-1.3 mm, pale green. Column 0.8-0.9 × 0.9-1 mm, anther equally bilobed; auricles falcate, scabrid.