Chloraea riojana (Chloraeinae-orchidaceae), a new orchid of Argentina.

Abstract

Chloraea riojana (Chloraeinae-Orchidaceae), a new orchid of Argentina. A new species of orchid in the genus Chloraea, sect. Foliosae, is described. This species native from La Rioja (Argentina) represents the southernmost limit of distribution of this section, which ranges from Southwestern Peru to Northwestern Argentina. This new taxon is based on significant morphological and phenological differences, together with its geographical isolation relative to the remaining species within the genus Chloraea. The most obvious difference with the most related species (Chloraea praecincta Speg. et Kranzl. and Chloraea reticulata Schlechter) is the color of the labellar lamina, which is deep yellow in the new species and white in the other two. Among other differences C. praecincta do not have nectar pits and C. reticulata has the widened base of the column.