Taxonomic revision of the genus Cranichis (Orchidaceae, Cranichideae) in Colombia

Abstract

The geographical range of the orchid genus Cranichis extends from USA, Central America, and the Caribbean to Bolivia and Argentina—with the greatest diversity observed in the Andean region. This taxon embraces herbs with the scape and basal leaves developing from a single, terminal bud and having the scape enclosed in several sheaths. The small, non-resupinate, flowers are arranged in a racemose inflorescence. The petals and lip are free from the column part and their gynostemium is short and massive. In this paper, the synopsis of Cranichis in Colombia is presented. Each species occurring in the country is characterized and illustrated. The information about habitat and distribution of national genus representatives are provided. Several groups of species that are very similar in their morphology are delineated to facilitate process of species identification. A total of 10 species are described here as new. Lectotypes for the six species Cranichis ciliata, C. fendleri, C. mandonii, C. tenuis, C. viereckii, and C. wageneri have been selected. Additionally, two new nomenclatorial combinations within Ocampoa are proposed.

Keywords

• Biodiversity
• Cranichideae
• Neotropics
• New species