Key to the species









1 Leaves unmarked. ............................................. 2



1’ Leaves spotted and(or) marked with whitish green. ............ 4



2(1) Leaves glaucous (West Indies). .................... S. speciosum



2’ Leaves not glaucous (Central & South America). ............... 3



3(2’) Epiphytes; inflorescences straight; lip apex red (Central America). ..................................... S. glicensteinii



3’ Terrestrials; inflorescences bent below the rachis; lip white without darker apex (South America). ................. S. nutans



4(1’) Leaves spotted, without a central whitish green patch. .........



............................................. S. albidomaculatum



4’ Leaves with a central whitish green patch with spots to either side (Ecuador). ...................................... S. millei







Stenorrhynchos glicensteinii E. A. Christenson, sp. nov.

TYPE: MEXICO. Chiapas, Puebla Nueva, Altamirano, 4600 ft, 12 Jan 1988, A. Pérez M. 144 (holotype: NY!).

Species haec S. speciosum (Jacq.) L. C. Rich. ex Spreng. similis sed plantis epiphyticis, labello ad apicem rubero differt.

Rosulate epiphytes arising from thick, fasciculate roots. Leaves several, oblanceolate, long-petiolate, acuminate, dark green without markings, the petioles to 5 cm long, the blades to 11 x 5 cm. Inflorescences erect pedunculate club-like racemes to 19 cm long, the peduncle enclosed in ovate, acuminate, concave bracts, the floral bracts similar, scarlet, to 3 cm long, longer than the combined ovaries and flowers. Flowers 15-20, tubular, the sepals and petals rose-red to scarlet, the lip white with a red apex. Sepals lanceolate, acute, the dorsal sepal to 1.4 x 0.4 cm, the lateral sepals to 2 x 0.5 cm. Petals oblong-lanceolate, acute, oblique-falcate, appressed to the dorsal sepal, to 1.6 x 0.4 cm. Lip obscurely lobed, saccate at the base, subpandurate, to 1.8 x 0.5 cm, the lateral lobes erect-incurved, obtuse-rounded, the midlobe lanceolate, acute, the outer surfaces of the saccate base puberulent, the inner surface at the base pilose. Column to 0.9 cm long, abaxially pubescent.



Etymology: Named to honor Leon Glicenstein, Ph.D., who brought this taxonomic problem to my attention.



Distribution: Mexico to Panama. Hamer (1974) records this species at 1700-2000 m above sea level in El Salvador.



Additional specimen: COSTA RICA, drawing by Endres #42, W!; MEXICO, Vallée de Cordova, Bourgeau 2080, FI!, P.



Stenorrhynchos glicensteinii is immediately divorced from its relatives by its obligate epiphytic habit (see below), shorter stature, unmarked leaves, densely-flowered club-shaped inflorescence, usually more vividly scarlet floral bracts and flowers, and by having a white lip with a consistently dark red apex. Ironically, S. glicensteinii has been well illustrated in the literature from El Salvador (Hamer, 1974), Nicaragua (Hamer, 1985) and Costa Rica (Mora & Atwood, 1992) but authors failed to note its distinctive characteristics.



Stenorrhynchos glicensteinii , Award  #20095417, has been confirmed to be Stenorrhynchos glicensteinii by SITF (Sept 2010).