Illustrations and studies in Neotropical Orchidaceae. 6. The Lepanthes guatemalensis group (Pleurothallidinae) in Costa Rica

We revise and characterize the group of species close to Lepanthes guatemalensis. The group comprises eight species in Costa Rica. Three new species are described and illustrated. Lepanthes durikaensis is distinguished by the non resupinate flowers, the lateral sepals ovate with the apical tails diverging, the lower lobe of petals lanceolate-subfalcate, up-curved and the pinkish column. Lepanthes leporina is recognized by the resupinate flowers with yellow sepals, faintly suffused with red, the petals violet, the lip orange, the bifid synsepal with the apices of the lateral sepals not forming tails, the lateral sepals subequal to the dorsal sepal, the petals markedly convex with the upper lobe elliptic-lanceolate and the lobes of the lip connivent at apex. Lepanthes sanctiorum is characterized by the small plants less than 1.1 cm tall, the short peduncle less than 10 mm long, the petals as wide as the lip length and the blades of the lip distinctly diverging at apex. All the species are described and illustrated on the basis of Costa Rican material. A key to the species of the group is provided.


INTRODUCTION
Species of the large genus Lepanthes Sw. have proven to be difficult to arrange into smaller taxonomic units. Apart from a quite general vegetative architecture, composed by monophyllous (rarely prolific) secondary stems, or ramicauls, covered with "lepanthiform" sheaths, mostly distally dilated and variously ciliate, and congested, distichous inflorescences, Lepanthes present any conceivable arrangement of the floral parts, with a continuum of variation between the most distinctive morphological schemes. Luer (1986) proposed to divide Lepanthes into four subgenera, subgen. Brachycladium, now elevated at the generic rank as Neooreophilus Archila [syn. Brachycladium (Luer) Luer, Oreophilus W.E.Higgins & Archila, Penducella Luer & Thoerle)], Draconanthes, now ranked at generic level as Draconanthes (Luer) Luer (1996), Marsipanthes, and Lepanthes, mainly distinguished by several characters of the petals and the lip. Within the most diverse subgenus Lepanthes, he recognized two sections, sect. Lepanthes and Haplocheilus, the latter distinguished by the membranous petals and lip (Luer, 1986). However, even with the transfer of a relatively small number of taxa to sect. Haplocheilus, the large majority of Lepanthes still remain in subgen. Lepanthes sect. Lepanthes. This section constitutes a mostly Andean group including over 700 species provided with lobed lip, the lateral lobes modified into blades and the mid-lobe, if present, modified into an appendix (Luer, 1996).
The fact that most species of Lepanthes were described in the framework of floristic studies, with little or no interest directed toward a phylogenetic context, often without any reference to interspecific relationships, makes more difficult to recognize groups of closely related taxa, which probably share common, recent evolutionary histories. Nevertheless, as a part of a series of studies aimed to produce a complete taxonomic revision of the subtribe Pleurothallidinae for Flora Costaricensis, we are trying to informally circumscribe, characterize and illustrate discrete groups of species, which share common sets of vegetative and floral features, to facilitate their comparative study and a full appreciation of groups' diversity. Here we discuss a group of species quite atypical in the flora of Mesoamerica by the very small plants provided with successive inflorescences distinctly longer than the leaves, proportionally large flowers, the sepals mostly caudate, the blades of the lip narrow and long, and a characteristic, helmet-shaped, apically deeply bilobed anther cap (Fig. 1). Even though it is not restricted to Central America, the group is apparently most diverse north to the Panamanian isthmus.
It was Rudolf Schlechter who simultaneously described the first two Mesoamerican species belonging to this group of Lepanthes, based on Guatemalan collections by Hans Freiherr von Türckheim (1853Türckheim ( -1920 from the area of Cobán in Alta Verapaz (Schlechter, 1912). Lepanthes guatemalensis Schltr. (Schlechter, 1912: 355) was compared with L. horrida Rchb.f. (which pertains to a different group) and separated by the distinctly lax inflorescence that greatly surpasses the leaf, and the golden yellow flowers. The species ranges from Chiapas, in southern Mexico, to El Salvador (Hamer 1988). Lepanthes tuerckheimii Schltr. (Schlechter, 1912: 357) was described on the basis of three collections by Türckheim, the first of which made in November 1877, a few months after the German Baron arrived in Guatemala, and the last one thirty years after, in 1907. Schlechter considered it closely related to his L. guatemalensis and to L. horrida, and described the color of the flowers as dark magenta. According to Ames & Correll (1952), Salazar Chávez & Soto Arenas (1996), and Hágsater & Soto Arenas (2003, L. tuerckheimii is a synonym of L. guatemalensis. In his revision of Lepanthes in Guatemala, Archila M. (2001) considered it a natural hybrid between L. verapazensis Archila and L. guatemalensis. In 1923, O. Ames used another collection by Türckheim (Guatemala. Alta Verapaz: Ainal, 4500 pp., Jul. 1886, H. von Tuerckheim 967) to describe L. gibberosa. Ames compared his new species to L. guatemalensis from which it supposedly differs by the lateral sepals "being protuberant on the inner margin near the base of a caudate tip" (Ames, 1923). The drawing of the type at AMES leaves no doubts that this name is a synonym of L. guatemalensis.
The goal of this article is to revise and characterize the group of species close to Lepanthes guatemalensis. The group comprises eight species in Costa Rica. We describe three species based on Costa Rican material. A key to the species of the group is provided. Additional material is provided online at www.epidendra.org (Pupulin, 2007 Epiphytic, small, caespitose, erect herb, to 2 cm tall. Roots thick, glabrous, 1.6-2.5 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, 0.6-1.3 cm long, enclosed by 2-3 glabrous, whitish sheaths. Leaf thinly coriaceous, broadly elliptic, rounded, deeply and narrowly retuse, with a distinct abaxial mucro, 8-11 mm long, 5-7 mm wide, shortly cuneate at the base into a petiole about 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence produced singly, larger than the leaf, a loose, distichous, successively few-flowered (to 5+ flowers) raceme to 40 mm long; filiform peduncle to 20 mm long, provided with 1-2 short tubular, obtuse bracts; rachis fractiflex. Floral bracts broadly ovate, amplectent, subacute, ca. 1 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, sparsely muriculate; pedicel 1.5 mm long, glabrous; ovary 1 mm long, subtrigonous, the carpels provided with semihyaline, subcrenulate wings. Flowers non resupinate, large for the genus, with pale translucent yellow sepals, suffused with red along the midveins, the petals red, the lateral lobes of the lip yellow with the base orange-red, the column yellow, the anther cap violet. Dorsal sepal ovate, contracted at apex into an acuminate tail ca. 3 mm long, 8 mm long including the tail, 4 mm wide, 5-veined, connate to the lateral sepals for 2 mm. Lateral sepals ovate-elliptic, connate for about half of their length into a suborbicular synsepal ca. 8 mm long (including the tails), 7.5 mm wide, apically contracted into acuminate tails ca. 3 mm long, connate to the dorsal sepal for 2 mm. Petals transversely bilobed, 2 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, the upper lobes lanceolate, subacute, 2 mm long, 1.2 mm wide, the lower lobes lanceolate subfalcate, obtuse-subrounded, introrse, curved upward, ca. 1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide. Lip bi-laminate, the blades narrowly digitate-falcate, acuminate, 2.5 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, adpressed to the column, the connectives trapezoidal, the body thin, rounded-protruding at apex, with a very thin, up-curved, digitate, glabrous appendix. Column short, truncate, 1.5 mm long, the anther apical, the stigma ventral. Anther cap cucullate, helmetshaped, apically deeply bilobed. Pollinia 2, narrowly lanceolate, on a rounded, flat viscidium.

Etymology:
The indigenous word Durika is perhaps derived from the Bribri duli "place of the tree of the high slope" or the Cabécar duleka "vertical", in reference to the steepy mountain. It is named after Cerro Durika at Fundación Reserva Biológica Durika, in southern Talamanca mountain range, where the type plants were collected.
Distribution: Known from the Talamanca mountain range in southern Costa Rica and western Panama.
Habitat: Epiphytic in branches in secondary and primary forest mostly Quercus spp. in premontane wet forest along the Cordillera de Talamanca at around 2000-2205 m of elevation. This species is distinguished by the non resupinate flowers, the lateral sepals ovate with the apical tails diverging, the lower lobe of petals lanceolate-subfalcate, up-curved and the pinkish column. Among the species of the group, it shares the non resupinate flowers with L. edwardsii, but the latter can be separated by the elliptic lateral sepals, the tails straight to curved inward, the rounded lower lobe of petals and the yellowish-white column. Epiphytic, small, caespitose, erect herb, to 2.5 cm tall. Roots thick, glabrous, to 2 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, 0.8-1.4 cm long, enclosed by 2-3 glabrous, whitish sheaths. Leaf thinly coriaceous, elliptic to orbicular, rounded, conduplicate, deeply and narrowly retuse, with a distinct abaxial mucro, 8-10 mm long, 5.0-5.5 mm wide, shortly cuneate at the base into a petiole about 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence produced singly, larger than the leaf, a loose, distichous, successively flowered (to 7+ flowers) raceme to 2.8 cm long; filiform peduncle to 23 mm long, provided with 1-2 short tubular, obtuse bracts; rachis slightly fractiflex. Floral bracts broadly ovate, amplectent, subacute, ca. 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, sparsely muriculate; pedicel 1.3 mm long, glabrous; ovary 1.3 mm long, subtrigonous, smooth. Flowers non resupinate, large for the genus, with pale translucent yellow sepals, suffused with red along the midveins, the petals red, the lateral lobes of the lip yellow with the base suffused with red, the column yellow, the anther cap white. Dorsal sepal anguste ovate, contracted at apex into a subacute to acuminate tail ca. 3 mm long, 7.5 mm long including the tail, 2mm wide, 3-veined, connate to the lateral sepals for 0.5 mm. Lateral sepals anguste ovate-elliptic, connate for about half of their length into a suborbicular synsepal ca. 7.5 mm long (including the tails), 3 mm wide, apically contracted into acuminate tails wich are straight to curved inward ca. 2.5 mm long, connate to the dorsal sepal for 0.5 mm. Petals transversely bilobed, 7 mm long, 1.9 mm wide, the upper lobes ovate to oblong, rounded, 1.3 mm long, 7 mm wide, the lower lobes smaller than the upper lobes, hemispheric, rounded to subacute, not curved upward, ca. 1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide. Lip bi-laminate, the blades narrowly digitatefalcate, acuminate, 2.2 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, adpressed to the column, the connectives trapezoidal, the body thin, rounded-protruding at apex, with a very thin, up-curved, digitate, glabrous appendix. Column short, truncate, to 1 mm long, the anther apical, the stigma ventral. Anther cap cucullate, helmet-shaped, apically deeply bilobed. Pollinia 2, narrowly lanceolate, on a rounded, flat viscidium.

Lepanthes edwardsii
Eponymy: Dedicated to Oakes Ames' correspondent, James B. Edwards, who collected the type specimen during his field trip in Honduras in 1932-1933. Distribution: Honduras to Costa Rica. Habitat: Epiphytic in disturbed premontane wet forest on twigs of main trunks mostly on fences and exposed conditions. It was collected along the Cordillera Volcánica  This taxon can be easily recognized by the non resupinate flowers, the anguste elliptic lateral sepals, the tails straight to curved inward, the rounded lower lobe of petals and the yellowish-white column. It is similar to L. durikäensis but the latter can be distinguished by the ovate lateral sepals with the apical tails diverging, the lower lobe of petals lanceolatesubfalcate, up-curved and the pinkish column. Costa Rican populations differ from typical L. edwardsii in the tailed sepals (vs. acute-acuminate), the petals with the upper lobe ovate-oblong, rounded (vs. lanceolate, acute), the blades of the lip are convergent (vs. divergent-subparallel), the petals red and the lip and column yellow (vs. petals, lip and column purple-wine). Further sampling from populations in the northern range of the species' distribution may perhaps reveal the existence of a complex of closely related taxa under our actual concept of L. edwardsii. Ames & C. Schweinf., Schedul. Orch. 10: 45. 1930.
Epiphytic, small, caespitose, erect herb, about 2 cm tall. Roots thick, glabrous, flat, to about 2.5 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, to 9 mm long, enclosed by 2-3 minutely scabrous, brown sheaths, terminating into a rather conspicuous, infundibuliform, hispid ostia. Leaf coriaceous, broadly cuneate-spatulate to obovate, rounded, minutely tridenticulate at apex, to 10 mm long, 3.5-5 mm wide, cuneate-narrowed at the base into an indistinct petiole about 1 mm long. Inflorescence 1, rarely 2 per growth, produced singly behind the leaf at any new growth season, a loose, distichous, successively 2-to 3-flowered raceme, 11-25 mm long; filiform peduncle, with a small tubular sheath in the middle; rachis fractiflex. Floral bracts infundibuliform, 1 mm long, glabrous; pedicel 2.3 mm long; ovary 0.8 mm long. Flowers large for the genus in Costa Rica, with greenish yellow sepals, blotched with red along and between the veins, petals red, the lateral lobes of the lip red, sometimes with orange apex, the column purple-red, the anther purple and white. Dorsal sepal triangular-ovate, contracted at apex into an acuminate tail about 7 mm long, 11.5 mm long including the tail, 5.5 mm wide, 3-veined, dorsally carinate along the midvein, connate to the lateral sepals for 2.5 mm. Lateral sepals connate for about half of their length into an ovate, 6-veined lamina, dorsally carinate along the midveins, the free apices extending into filiform tails about 4 mm long, 13.5 mm long including the tail, 7 mm wide, connate to the dorsal sepal for 2.5 mm. Petals transversely bilobed, the upper lobes obovate-quadrate, broadly obtuse to truncate, 0.6 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, with a central, pyramidal callus projecting downward, the lower lobes very reduced, ear-like, 0.2 mm long, 0.2 mm wide. Lip 3-lobed, the lateral blades obliquely narrowly triangular, falcate, acuminate, provided with a with a transverse flabellate thickening at the base and a semi-elliptic abaxial projection at the middle, basally concave, 1.9 mm long, 1 mm wide, appressed to the column, the connectives narrowly rectangular, the appendix shortly triangular, glabrous. Column short, 0.8 mm long, the anther subapical, quadrate-ellipsoid, with 2 spreading triangular tips, the stigma ventral. Pollinia 2, oblong-pyriform. Etymology: Named after the Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, where the type plant was collected. Distribution. Endemic to Costa Rica. Habitat: Epiphytic on twigs in exposed conditions in disturbed tropical wet forest, premontane belt transition on the Caribbean slopes of Cordillera de Guanacaste and Tilarán at around 600-700 m of elevation. This species can be identified by the pendent or suberect habit, with resupinate flowers, the caudate synsepal having the apices of the lateral sepals forming distinct tails, the upper lobes of the petals obovate-quadrate, broadly obtuse to truncate, with a central, pyramidal callus projecting downward, the lower lobes very reduced, ear-like, the upper lobe of the lip orbicular, the blades of the lip sigmoid, with a distinct basal lobe the lateral blades obliquely narrowly triangular, falcate, acuminate, provided with a transverse flabellate thickening at the base and the appendix very reduced, rounded. The above description of petals and lip is unique among its relatives. Epiphytic, small, caespitose, erect herb, to 2 cm tall. Roots thick, glabrous, 1.8-2.4 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, 0.8-1.2 cm long, enclosed by 3-4 glabrous, whitish sheaths. Leaf thinly coriaceous, broadly elliptic-suborbicular, rounded, minutely emarginated, with a small abaxial mucro, 9-11 mm long, 7-8 mm wide, cuneate at the base into a petiole about 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence several per growth, produced singly behind the leaf at any new growth season, a loose, distichous, successively few-flowered (to 5 flowers) raceme to 20 mm long; filiform peduncle to 15 mm long, provided with a short tubular, obtuse bract. Floral bracts transversely broadly ovate, amplectent, obtuse, 0.5 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, sparsely and microscopically muriculate; pedicel 1.5 mm long, sparsely muriculate; ovary 1.2 mm long, subtrigonous. Flowers large for the genus, with yellow sepals, faintly suffused with red along the midvein and the upper sepal margins, the petals violet-red, the lateral lobes of the lip orange with the base violet, the column and the anther cap violet. Dorsal sepal broadly triangularovate, contracted at apex into an acuminate tail 1 mm long, 7.5 mm long including the tail, 5.5 mm wide, 5-veined, connate to the lateral sepals for 2.5 mm. Lateral sepals connate for two thirds of their length into a broadly ovate, bifid lamina with subacute apices, 7 mm long, 7.5 mm wide, connate to the dorsal sepal for 2.5 mm. Petals transversely bilobed, minutely pubescent, 0.8 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, the upper lobes elliptic-sublanceolate, rounded, 0.8 mm long, 2.2 mm wide, the lower lobes obsolescent, semicircular, ca. 0.5 mm long, 0.7 mm wide. Lip bi-laminate, the blades narrowly digitate-falcate, acuminate, 3 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, adpressed to the column, the connectives trapezoidal, the body thin, rounded, with a very thin, incurved, aculeate, glabrous appendix. Column short, truncate, 1.4 mm long, the anther apical, the stigma ventral. Anther cap cucullate, helmet-shaped, apically deeply bilobed. Pollinia 2, elliptic, on two separate, hyaline, rectangular caudicles. Etymology: From the Latin leporinus, "of the hare", in allusion to the shape of the petals reminding the long ears of leporids. Distribution: Known only from the type locality in Costa Rica. Habitat: Epiphytic on twigs of Cupressus lusitanica in disturbed premontane wet forest on the Caribbean slopes of Talamanca range in the region of Tapantí, at about 1300 meters of elevation.

Lepanthes leporina
The new taxon can be recognized by the resupinate flowers with yellow sepals, faintly suffused with red, the petals violet, the lip orange, the bifid synsepal with the apices of the lateral sepals not forming tails, the lateral sepals subequal to the dorsal sepal, the petals markedly convex with the upper lobe elliptic-lanceolate and the blades of the lip with connivent apices. It is similar to L. ruberrima but the later can be recognized by the concolorous purple-red flowers, the lateral sepals much longer than the dorsal sepal and the petals flat with the upper lobe triangular and the blades of the lip without connivent apices. Lepanthes schugii is another species similar to L. leporina, however it could be easily separated by the caudate synsepal having the apices of the lateral sepals forming distinct tails and the blades of the lip without connivent apices. Pupulin,Orch. Digest 76 (1) Fig. 3D and 8.
Etymology: From the Latin ruberrimus, "very red", in allusion to the color of the flower. Distribution: Endemic to Costa Rica. Habitat: Epiphytic in premontane wet forest in the region of Tapantí, at about 1200 meters of elevation, where it has been recorded exclusively from the quite exposed trunks of short trees forming a fence along the road to Tapantí Naional Park. Additional material examined: Costa Rica. Cartago: Orosi, road to the Parque Nacional Tapantí, about 1 km before the entrance of the Park, 1170 m, epiphytic on short trees along the roadside, bordering a pasture, 7 May 2000, F. Pupulin 2409 & Curso de Orquideología (USJ!). Originally described as a subspecies of L. johnsonii Ames (Pupulin, 2001), a species ranging from Mexico to Guatemala, L. ruberrima shows consistent morphological differences with its northern relative (Pupulin & Bogarín 2012). Lepanthes ruberrima has glabrous caulinar sheets (vs. hispidulous in L. johnsonii), distinctly shorter leaves (<8 mm vs. >10 mm), lateral sepals forming a broadly ovate, bifid lamina with acute apices (vs. with the lobes distinctly caudate), and the upper lobe of the petals triangularrounded (vs. narrowly triangular, acute). Furthermore, the flowers of L. ruberrima are completely red-purple, while in L. johnsonii they vary from pink to yellow, with the tails of the sepals suffused with rose-purple, the petals usually rose-purple, and the laminae of the lip yellow, flushed with red only at the base. It is also similar to L. leporina but the later can be separated by the elliptic-lanceolate upper lobe of petals, the blades of the lip with connivent apices and and the overall color of the flower (see the above discussion of L. leporina). Epiphytic, cespitose, erect herb, to 1.1 cm tall. Roots coarse, glabrous, to 0.6 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, 1.2-4.8 mm long, enclosed by 2-3 concealing, glabrous, brownish, lepanthiform sheaths, slightly dilated at the acute apices. Leaf elliptic to obovate-elliptic, rounded, minutely retuse, with a short abaxial apicule, thin-coriaceous, cuneate at the base into a short conduplicate petiole, 3.5-7.7×1.8-3.7 mm including the petiole. Inflorescence a distichous, loose, successively 1-to 2-flowered raceme to 7 mm long, produced over the leaf by a slender, terete peduncle, 3.5 mm long, provided with 1 brownish, adpressed, lanceolate, acute bracts to 0.7 mm long. Floral bracts subequal to the bracts of the inflorescence, 0.7 mm long, shorter than the ovary; pedicel terete, to 1 mm long, persistent; ovary subclavate, winged, ca. 1 mm long, the margins of the crests cartilagineous, irregularly crenulate. Flowers large for the plant, the sepals yellow, basally flushed with red between veins, the petals proximally red, distally yellow, the lip yellow, suffused with red at the base of the blades, the column pinkish-red, the anther lilac-violet.
Etymology: Named after the type locality, the region known as Los Santos (the Saints) of Dota, León Cortés and Tarrazú of San José, in central Pacific Talamanca range. Distribution: Known only from Costa Rica. Habitat: epiphytic on Cupressus lusitanica trees in fences on exposed condition at around 1800 m of elevation in premontane rain forest on the Pacific watershed of Cordillera de Talamanca in southern Costa Rica.
This new species is distinguished by the small size of the plants, less than 1.1 cm long, the short peduncle less than 10 mm long, the petals as wide as the lip length and the blades of the lip distinctly diverging at apex. It could be similar to L. tapantiensis and L. schugii but the later have longer plants and peduncles more than 1.3 cm long, the petals are distinctly narrower than the lip length and the blades of the lip are subparallel to converging at apex. Some plants collected at La Carpintera (Bogarín & al. 5456) present autogamous flowers, navicular synsepals, the sepals joined until the apex and the pollinia narrowly oblong, with short caudicles (ratio caudicle/pollinium 1:10) Fig. 3G, 10. Populations from the type locality have flat synsepals, free apices of the sepals and the pollinia elliptic-subovate, with long caudicles (ratio caudicle/pollinium 1:2). We considered the specimens from La Carpintera the same as the species we are describing as L. sanctiorum. In spite of the former differences, the overall shape and color of flowers are very similar and the differences could be explained by the autogamous condition of the flowers. Epiphytic, caespitose, erect herb, to 2 cm tall. Roots slender, glabrous, ca 1 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, 0.8-1 cm long, enclosed by 3 blackish, microscopically pubescent, lepanthiform sheaths with dilated ostia. Leaf coriaceous, elliptic, obtuse, 8-10 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, cuneate at the base into a petiole about 0.5 mm long. Inflorescence a loose, successively few-flowered raceme to 20 mm long, produced behind the leaf by a filiform peduncle to 18 mm long. Floral bracts infundibuliform, 1.5 mm long, glabrous; pedicel 2.5 mm long; ovary 0.5 mm long. Flowers with yellow sepals, suffused with purple toward the center, the petals red, the lip rose-purple, the column purple. Dorsal sepal triangularovate, 4 mm long, 3 mm wide, apically contracted into a tail ca 2.5 mm long, connate to the lateral sepals for 1.2 mm. Lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, acute, 5 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, contracted at apex into a tail 1 mm long, connate 2.5 mm. Petals glabrous, transversely bilobed, 0.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; the upper lobes narrowly ovate, subacute, 0.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, the lower vestigial, suborbicular, obtuse, 0.5 mm long, 0,5 mm wide. Lip bilaminate, the blades narrowly lanceolate, subfalcate, acute, glabrous, 2 mm long, the connectives narrowly cuneate, the body shortly connate to the half of column, the appendix cylindric, minutely papillose. Column terete, 1 mm long, the anther dorsal, the stigma apical. Anther cap ovate, basally deeply emarginate. Pollinia 2, narrowly oblong. This species is distinguished by the peduncle >13 mm long, the resupinate flowers, the petals distinctly narrower than the lip length, the blades of the lip subparallel, the basal margins of the synsepal plain, the lower lobe of petals much smaller, rounded, the upper lobe lanceolate, without a mucro and blades of the lip straight, subparallel to slightly diverging but without connivent apices. It is similar to L. tapantiensis but the latter can be distinguished by the basal margins of synsepal wavy-subcrenulate, the petals with the upper and lower lobes subequal, with a small mucro in between and the baldes of the lip incurved-uncinate.  Epiphytic, cespitose, erect herb, to 2 cm tall. Roots coarse, glabrous, to 1.5 mm in diameter. Ramicauls slender, 7-12 mm long, enclosed by 2-3 concealing, glabrous, whitish, lepanthiform sheaths, slightly dilated at the acute apices. Leaf elliptic to obovate-elliptic, rounded, minutely retuse, with a short abaxial apicule, thin-coriaceous, cuneate at the base into a short conduplicate petiole, 6.5-11.0×3.0-6.5 mm including the petiole. Inflorescence a distichous, loose, successively 1-to 2-flowered raceme to 15 mm long, produced over the leaf by a slender, terete peduncle, 1.3 cm long, provided with 2-3 brownish, adpressed, lanceolate, acute bracts to 1.3 mm long. Floral bracts glumaceous, glabrous, broadly lanceolate, 0.7×0.5 mm; pedicel terete, to 1.5 mm long, persistent; ovary subclavate, winged, ca. 1 mm long, the margins of the crests cartilagineous, irregularly crenulate. Flowers large for the plant, spreading, resupinate, the sepals yellow, the dorsal one suffused with purple-red along the midvein, the lateral ones suffused with purple-red along the labellar side of the midvein, the petals yellow, blotched with red on the proximal margins, the apex of the upper lobe violet, the lip yellow, the blades red at the base, the column violet, the anther yellow. Sepals connate, forming a spreading 3-lobed calyx with caudate lobes. Dorsal sepal triangular, 3-veined, ending into a filiform tail 2.5 mm long, connate at the base to the lateral sepals for 1.7 mm, irregularly and shallowly crenulate along the basal margins, 7×4 mm including the tail. Lateral sepals ovate, abruptly constricted at apex into a filiform tail 3 mm long, connate to each other for ca. 3 mm, the margins crenulate, 8.0×2.7 mm. Petals transversely bilobed, sub-obreniform, the lobes separated by a rounded apicule, glabrous, 0.7×1.5 mm, the upper lobe obliquely triangular-ovate, minutely rounded, 1.2×0.8 mm, the lower lobe smaller, elliptic, rounded, 1.0×0.5 mm. Lip 3-lobed, bilaminate, 1.7×1.4 mm across the lateral lobes when spread, the lateral blades narrowly triangular-falcate, slightly concave adaxially, joining at the acute, papillose apices, basally adpressed to the column, 1.7×0.4 mm, the connectives obcuneate, the appendix filiform, glabrous, white. Column terete, minutely papillose, ca. 1 mm long, the anther subdorsal, the stigma ventral. Anther cap ovate, 2-celled, the base deeply emarginated, the apex provided with 2 flap-like, subquadrate, diverging lobes. Pollinia 2, narrowly linearoblong, strongly complanate, with a rounded viscidium.

Lepanthes tapantiensis
Etymology: Named from the region of Tapantí and the homonymous National Park. Distribution: Known only from the type locality in Costa Rica. Habitat: Epiphytic in premontane wet forest on the Caribbean slopes of Cordillera de Talamanca in Tapantí National Park, Costa Rica.
A species similar to L. johnsonii, L. tapantiensis can be distinguished vegetatively by the glabrous sheaths of the ramicaul (vs. hispidolous), and florally by the crenulate margins of the sepals (vs. smooth), the distinctly bilobed, obreniform petals with the two lobes separated by a small, rounded apicule (vs. subentire, narrowly triangular, without an apiculus), the lip provided with blades that are papillose at apex (vs. glabrous) and the color of the perianth. While in L. johnsonii the sepals are yellow, sometimes with the tails' apices tinged with red, and the petals and column purplered, in L. tapantiensis the dorsal sepal is suffused with purple-red along the midvein and the lateral ones suffused with the same color along the labellar side of the midvein, the petals are yellow, blotched with red on the proximal margins, the apex of the upper lobe violet, and the column is violet (Pupulin & Bogarín 2012).