New species of <i>Lepanthes</i> (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) to honour “Bachué”, the mythological mother of the indigenous Muisca people.

Abstract

In an expedition of 341 plots across a large elevation (1,100-3,880 m) and spatial gradient (~270 km) in the eastern cordillera we found a new species of the genus Lepanthes in Santuario de Fauna y Flora de Iguaque, Boyaca, Colombia. We propose L. bachue as a new species. It is most similar to L. papallactae but it can be distinguished by its proliferous plants (vs. non proliferous), the petals with the upper lobe 2.5 mm long, the lower lobe 4.5 mm long, larger than the upper one, and the margins fimbriate (vs. lobes subequal, 4.5 mm long and shortly pubescent) and the lip with the blades oblong, sub-sigmoid, adnate to the middle of the column with a short oblong, bifid, yellow appendix hiding in the middle (vs. blades narrowly elliptical-oblong, connate to the column above the middle with a recurved, pedunculate, biglandular appendix). Our large elevational and geographical sampling suggest that the species is geographically restricted and have high habitat specialization, thus urging to protect its natural habitat and population.