Vanilla sotoarenasii M.Pignal, Azof.-Bolaños & Grisoni 2017 SUBGENUS Xanata

Comparrison shots with V planifolia

Photos by © Michel Grisoni and European Journal of Taxonomy 284: 1–26 M.Pignal, Azof.-Bolaños & Grisoni 2017 A new vanilla species from Costa Rica closely related to V. planifolia (Orchidaceae)

Common Name Soto Arenas' Vanilla [dedicated to Dr. Miguel Angel Soto Arenas (1963?2009), authority in orchid floristics and ecology, particularly in the Vanilla genus died 2009}

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

Found in Limon Province of Costa Rica at elevations around 2 meters as a giant sized, hot growing hemiepiphyte with flexuous, terete, smooth, green, many internoded, sometime slightly upcurved apically stem carrying, elliptic to obovate, slightly fleshy, shortly acuminate, slightly recurved, margin thinned, base rounded to cuneate, canaliculate, shortly pseudopetiolate leaves that blooms in the fall and winter on a either on the main leafy stem or on short axillary branches, provided with 3 to 4, folicaeous, basal bract pseudopetiolate, upper bract sessile and shorter, 2.8 to 5.2" [7 to 13 cm] long, racemose, successively 1 to 2, 10 to 20 flowered inflorescence carrying ephemeral flowers.

"V. sotoarenasii sp. nov. has a significantly smaller size for all organs measured (stem, leaf, flower and fruit) compared to V. planifolia and V.×tahitensis, and had a distinct shape of the leaves: elliptic to obovate in the case of V. sotoarenasii sp. nov., elliptic to oblong for V. planifolia and narrowly oblong to lanceolate for V.×tahitensis. In addition, the flowers of V. sotoarenasii sp. nov. are more whitish, with a narrower label showing marked papillae, compared to those of V. planifolia, which are more greenish, with a wider label and smooth papillae." M.Pignal, Azof.-Bolaños & Grisoni 2017

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * European Journal of Taxonomy 284: 1–26 M.Pignal, Azof.-Bolaños & Grisoni 2017 A new vanilla species from Costa Rica closely related to V. planifolia (Orchidaceae) drawing/photo fide;

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