A NEW SPECIES OF BRACHYSTELE (ORCHIDACEAE) FROM WESTERN MEXICO DARIUSZ L. SZLACHETKO, Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Protection, Gdansk University, Al. Legionéw 9, PL-80-41 Gdansk, Poland and ROBERTO GONZALEZ TAMAYO, Instituto de Boténica, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Apartado Postal 139, 45110 Zapopan, Jalisco, México ABSTRACT Brachystele luzmariana Szlachetko & R.Gonzélez is described as new. Its distinguished by a lip with epichile transverse, much shorter and narrower than the hypochile, bilobed or strongly emarginate. It is compared with Brachystele affinis (C.Schweint.) Burns-Balogh & R.Gonzalez, the most closely related species. Key Words: Angiospermae, Orchidaceae, Spiranthinae, Brachystele, Mexico RESUMEN Brachystele luzmariana se describe como especie nueva. Se distingue por el labelo con el epichilo transverso, mucho més corto y angosto que el hipochilo, bilobado o provisto con un seno profundo. Se compara con Brachystele affinis (C.Schweinf.) Burns-Balogh & R.Gonzélez, con la cual mantiene relacion estrecha INTRODUCTION, In continuing our common studies of Spiranthinae in the herbarium of the Instituto de Botanica (IBUG) we found several specimens not fitting the characteristics of B. affinis, (C. Schweinf.) Burns-Balogh and R.GonzAlez. We describe one of them in this paper. In 1937 Schweinfurth proposed a number of new species, one of which was Spiranthes affinis C. Schwein. characterized, among other features, by its “lip pandurate- subquadrate, broadly truncate and sometimes slightly retuse at the apex, slightly exceeding the sepals, shortly unguiculate, about 3.2 mm long, 2-3 mm wide across the basal portion, slightly narrower across the anterior part...”. At the end of the description Schweinfurth says that the collection: “Arsene 5476 (included under S. affinis), consists of uniformly smaller plants 11-22 cm high and racemes 3-10 cm long. One of its flowers shows an acute lateral sepal about 3.9 mm long, petals which are somewhat narrowed and obtuse at the tip and a lip which is trilobulate at the truncate apex, about 3.6 mm long and definitely shorter than the sepals. In this collection the anterior portion of the lip is more erose and crispate than in the type”. The collection Arsene 5476 came from the vicinity of Morelia, Jesus del Monte, in the state of Michoacan and the plants were collected on March 28, 1910 (US). It is390 D.L. Szlachetko and R. Gonzalez T.: A new species of Brachystele ~ probable that Arsene 5476 belongs to a species distinct from S. a/finis. In any event the new species we will propose in this paper is distinct from the two On the other part in 1824 Llave and Lexarza published Neottia micrantha a species until present day oscure and unidentifiable, reduced to synonymy of Spiranthes Haveana by L.O.Wms. (1951) and Garay placed it (1982) in incerta sedis. It is interesting to note that the specimen of Lexarza and that of Arsene were collected in the vicinity of Morelia, and the two authors Lexarza and Schweinfurth compared their species to Neottia spiralis (L.) Pers. Spiranthes spiralis (L.) Chevall., and to S. beckii Lindl, S. gracilis (Bigel.) Beck and S. graminea Lindl., respectively. And curiously enough, Lexarza included under N. micrantha a variety, which is another collection with flowers fleshy coloured and a lip with several colours. Undoubted this is an interesting puzzle to solve, but it is not the purpose of this paper. In 1982 Garay transferred S. affinis to Mesadenus Schltr. and published an analytical drawing of a flower, as Plate 35-A. In the same year Pamela Burns-B. and the junior author transferred S. affinis to Brachystele Schltr. in which it remains up to now Brachystele luzmariana Szlach. et R.Gonzalez sp. nov. Figure | Brachystele luzmariana Szlachetko et R.Gonzilez; B. affinis (C.Schweinf.) Burns- Balogh et R.Gonzélez primo adspectu maxime simile, sed epichilo transverso, bilobo vel fortiter emarginato, quam hipochilo angustiore et multo breviore. To B. affinis (C. Schweinf.) Burns-Balogh et R. Gonzalez at first sight most similar but with ephichile transverse, bilobed or strongly emarginate, narrower and much shorter than hypochile. Inconspicuous, herbaceous terrestrial plant, ca. 21.5 cm tall. Root tuberoid, solitary, fusiform, glabrous, ca. 3.3 cm long, 1.2 cm diameter, leafs absent during flowering time. Raceme spiranthoid, ca. 7 cm long, 1.2 cm diameter, with 28 flowers, rachis glabrous, scape filiform, greenish, at base concealed by imbricated, vaginate, truncated bracts, gradually acuminate, whitering. Flowers white opening successively. Floral bract withered, concave, appressed to ovary, membranous, margins involute, rhombic- lanceolate, acuminate, ca. 4.6-5.3 mm long, 2.3-2.6 mm broad, I-nerved, the nerve reddish-brown. Ovary strict, clavate, shortly pedicellate, ca. 3 mm long, | mm diameter, three-ribbed, the ribs broad and rounded. Dorsal sepal erect, channeled, somewhat conduplicate at the spreading apex, rhombic-oblong, obtuse, 3-4 mm long, 1.8 mm broad, I-nerved. Lateral sepals connate at base by a short distance, erect, concave at base, at the apex conduplicate with involute apical margins, slightly oblique, oblong subacute, 3.8-4 mm long, I-1.2 mm wide. Petals adherent to dorsal sepal, somewhat channeled, erect, espatulate-falcate, obtuse, ca. 3 mm long, | mm wide, I-nerved. Lip unguiculate, claw subquadrate, 0.5 mm long, erect, channeled, with upcurved margins adherent to sides of column, epichile scarsely subspreading, inBoletin, IBUG, 8 de marzo de 1998, vol. 5, nlim. 1-3, 389-393 391 all ca. 4mm long, 3 mm wide; hypochile cordate, rhombic, occupying most of the total lip length, 2.5 mm long, provided at base on each side with a mammilliform thickening; epichile shorter and narrower than hypochile, transversely oblong, densely papillose bilobate, 1-1.3 mm long, 2 mm wide, margins undulate-crispate, disk provided with 3 green nerves, each nerve trifid. Column erect clavate, much dilated at sides of stigma, shallowly carved in front, ca. 2mm long, 1.5 mm wide, dorsally carinate. Clinandrium deeply concave, 3-toothed, lateral teeth membranous, serrate, below apex of stigma with columnar tissue forming a short acute sinus, slightly exceeding anther; dorsal tooth withered, triangular acuminate, adnate dorsally to anther and almost as long. Rostellum reduced to a transverse narrow membrane on top of the stigma, at center provided with a very short and broad inconspicuous apicule. Stigma transverse rectangular, somewhat pandurate, 0.7 mm long, 0.8 mm wide. Anther fragile, suborbicular, almost flat, 0.9 mm long, | mm wide, biloculate, locules convergent, united at apex, each provided with a prominent, fisurate, straight wall. Pollinarium clavate-flabellate, 0.9 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, pollinia 4, laterally flattened, ovate, yellow; viscidium flabellate, broader than long, grayish. Capsule strict, pedicellate, ellipsoid-clavate, 5-6 mm long, 2-2.5 mm diameter, fleshy coloured with greenish hue. TYPE: Mexico, State of Jalisco, Municipio Atengo, 5 km al NE del rancho El Trigo, 23-III-1986, R.Soltero 437 (holotype IBUG). Known only from the type collection ETIMOLOGY: Named in honour of Professor Luz Maria Villarreal de Puga, who has promoted the botanical studies in Western Mexico during decades, among other relevant activities in conservation. FLOWERING TIME: During March. ECOLOGY: Terrestrial, in full sun in prairies among openings of pine-oak forest. Flowers in III VARIABILITY: Base of hypochile, more or less rounded and degree of emargination of the epichile. Brachystele luzmariana is closelly allied to B. affinis (C. Schweinf.) Burns-Balogh & R.Gonzalez, the two species are separated in the following key: 1. Flowers slightly smaller, dorsal sepal 3 mm long; hypochile short, slightly broader than epichile; epichite oblong to quadrate, truncate or obscurely retuse . -B. affinis 1. Flowers slightly larger, dorsal sepal 4 mm long; hypochile clearly broader than epi- chile; epichile short, bilobed or deeply retuse ......... secessesees B. luzmariana