Dariusz Szlachetko

University of Gdansk | UG · Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation

A taxonomical study of Sobralia decora and allied species recorded in South America is presented. The group is characterized by light pink to purple flowers, often with a white tip of the labellum and yellow to brown area on its throat. If considering the habit, the species can be recognized and distinguished from all other Sobralia species by prod...

i>Dendrobium is a large group of Orchidaceae, counting more than 1,100 species, whose classification, both within the genus and individual sections, is not straightforward. Therefore, the aim of our study was to perform phylogenetic analyses for representatives of a nominal section of Dendrobium and to test the usefulness of a low-copy nuclear gene...

Encyclia is the second-largest genus in the neotropical subtribe Laeliinae (Orchidaceae) and has more than 150 species, which are characterized by fairly consistent flower morphology. Its taxonomy and species boundaries, however, seem to be still under debate. In the present study, we first examined the lip micromorphology of 61 species of Encyclia...

Neokoehleria langkastii Senghas (Orchidaceae) an Ecuadorian species discovered in the department of Putumayo is added to the flora of Colombia.

To solve the taxonomic affiliation of Bulbophyllum physometrum, the only known species of the Bulbophyllym sect. Physometra (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae), we conducted phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear markers, i.e., ITS and the low-copy gene Xdh, and the plastid region matK. We used Asian Bulbophyllum taxa, with a special focus on species fro...

Gongora maculata Lindl. (Orchidaceae) was discovered in Colombia, Department of Cauca, the area known as La Bota Caucana, near the headwaters of the Caqueta River.

Guatemala is recognized for its diverse and rich flora and fauna. It is estimated that over 1200 orchid species, classified in 223 genera, are known to occur in this rather small, yet megadiverse country. While studying the diversity of this plant group in the department of Baja Verapaz, we found individuals that clearly belonged to the genus Schie...

A critical study of the herbarium material representing the orchid genus Dactylorhiza Necker ex Nevski in Kazakhstan was conducted in 2019–2020. The information on the species composition was clarified. Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. hebridensis (Wilmott) Soó and D. × kerneri (Soó) Soó were identified for the first time in the country. New taxa were n...

A new species of Sudamerlycaste Archila, Sudamerlycaste mejia Sauleda, Uribe-Velez and Szlachetko is described from La Bota Caucana, department of Cauca, Colombia.

A new species of Gongora Ruiz & Pav. (Orchidaceae), Gongora araucaensis Niessen, J. C. Uribe, Sauleda and Szlachetko from Department of Arauca, Rio Cravo Norte, is described.

A new species of Muscarella Luer (Orchidaceae) is Described for Colombia From the Department of Antioquia.

A new species of Epibator Luer (Orchidaceae) is described from the Bota Caucana, Department of Cauca, Colombia.

Sobralia Ruiz & Pav. is a large and morphologically diverse neotropical orchid genus. It can be divided into four sections and some informal groups of species based mainly on the inflorescence architecture. While most of the species have strongly abbreviated, compact raceme, the section Racemosae is characterized by an elongated inflorescence with...

A new species of Gongora Ruiz & Pav. (Orchidaceae), Gongora niesseniae Sauleda, Szlachetko and Uribe-Velez is reported for Colombia.

The neotropical orchid genus Telipogon Kunth was established in 1815 and currently comprises more than 250 species. Representatives of this genus are generally epiphytic plants lacking pseudobulbs. The stem is either abbreviated or elongate and the leaves are conduplicate. Flowers are usually resupinate with small sepals and petals similar to the l...

A new species of Gongora Ruiz & Pav. (Gongora antioquiensis Uribe-Velez, Sauleda & Szlachetko, Orchidaceae) is reported for Colombia, from the Department of Antioquia.

Background Orchids have evolved various strategies that aim to ensure their reproduction success. These may include the production of rewards for pollinators, or on the contrary, deception. Specific sets of features such as flower morphology, color, nectar, and odor presence (or lack thereof) are considered to determine suitability for pollination...

A new species of Chondroscaphe (Orchidaceae), Chondroscaphe padreortizii Uribe-Velez, Sauleda and Szlachetko is reported for Colombia.

Teuscheria falcon Kolan., Szlach. & Medina Tr. sp. nova (Orchidaceae, Maxillariinae), is described from the Colombian Andes. It resembles T. cornucopia from which it differs by oblong obovate petals, the lip being wider than long, and by the obflabellate lip mid-lobe with a subhastate base that overlaps the basal part of the lateral lobes. Images o...

A second new species of Acianthera (Acianthera caucanensis Uribe-Velez, Sauleda & Szlachetko) (Orchidaceae) is described from La Bota Caucana, department of Cauca, Colombia.

A new species Acianthera (Acianthera ortizii Uribe-Velez, Sauleda & Szlachetko) (Orchidaceae) is described from La Bota Caucana, department of Cauca, Colombia.

Sumbembayev AA, Tergenbaeva ZHT, Kudabayeva GM, Tashmetova RS, Genievskaya YA, Szlachetko DL. 2022. Title. Biodiversitas 23: 4385-4399. The article presents the results of studying the current state of populations of a rare species-Dactylorhiza fuchsii in the Kazakhstan Altai. As a result of expeditionary studies, four main regions were identified,...

Dendrobium is one of the most species-rich genera of the Paleotropical orchids. It embraces more than 1000 species, most of which are epiphytes. The strong variation in floral characters causes many identification difficulties within this genus. One of the key structures, often sufficient in identification on a species level, is the labellum, which...

A new species of Gongora Ruiz & Pav. (Orchidaceae) is reported for Colombia, from the Department of Antioquia, near the Espiritu Santo ravine in the village of Uvital in the municipality of Nariño at 800 m.

A new species of Myoxanthus is described for Colombia. The species was discovered in the municipality of Ciudad Bolivar, corregimiento de farallones, department of Antioquia.

Background. Pachygenium embraces a group of terrestrial species formerly placed in Pelexia sensu lato. The genus currently comprises some 60 species, most of which are known from the southern parts of Brazil and Paraguay, with few species distributed in the Andean countries—only four species have been recorded from Argentina so far. In Jujuy Provin...

The results of a revision of the orchid genus Andinia are presented. The proposed classification is based on outcomes of morphological and molecular studies. Additionally, the similarity of the climatic niches occupied by representatives of the Andinia-complex was calculated and visualized. The highest number of Andinia representatives is found in...

There are many studies on the biology, ecology and infrageneric classification of the cosmopolitan orchid genus Habenaria. However, there are few data on the seed morphology of species in this genus. The aim of this study was to analyse the seed morphology of Habenaria and related taxa (111 species in total). The species of Habenaria s.l. studied a...

Seidenfia manikathila J.Mathew, P.M. Salim & Szlach. (Orchidaceae), a new species from the southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India, is described and illustrated based on morphological data. We demonstrate that the new species differs from other Seidenfia species both in vegetative and floral characters. The diagnostic morphological characters, distri...

Ornithophily has been long speculated to occur in the subtribe Maxillariinae (Orchidaceae), relying either solely on micromorphological analyses or scarce field observations of undefined species. In Guatemala we were able to observe regular visits of the azure-crowned hummingbirds feeding on flowers of Ornithidium fulgens. These observations have l...

Despite the clear circumscription of tribe Sobralieae (Orchidaceae), its internal relationships are still dubious. The recently delimited genus Brasolia, based on previous Sobralia species, is now assumed to be paraphyletic, with a third genus, Elleanthus, nested in it. The morphology of these three genera is significantly different, indicating the...

A New Species of Odontoglossum Kunth (Orchidaceae), Odontoglossum morae Uribe-Velez, Sauleda & Szlachetko is Reported For Colombia.

Neotropical genus Maxillaria Ruiz & Pav. belongs to one of the most diverse and species-rich groups of orchids. Several of its representatives are popular, horticultural plants with large and showy flowers, often nicely fragranced. It is not uncommon that some distinctly colored individuals are introduced to the commercial market under names of sim...

Poroglossum leslie-garayi, a new species of the orchid genus Porroglossum is described and illustrated based on Colombian material. The 3-lobed lip which consists of unequal lobes with the middle one being reflexed near the midpoint is unique in the genus and based on this character the novelty can not be assigned to any existing subgenus of Porrog...

The phylogeny of the genus Paphiopedilum based on the plastome is consistent with morphological analysis. However, to date, none of the analyzed nuclear markers has confirmed this. Topology incongruence among the trees of different nuclear markers concerns entire sections of the subgenus Paphiopedilum. The low-copy nuclear protein-coding gene PHYC...

Siederella loxense (Lindl.) Szlach., Kolan. & Chiron an Ecuadorian species is reported as an addition to the flora of Colombia.

The lectotypification of six names of species, originally described as Evelyna Lind. (Orchidaceae), based on collections of Jean Jules Linden from locations that are currently in Venezuela and Colombia, is proposed. We also provide the number and location of duplicates of the type material.

Chiloschista confusa M.J. Mathew, J. Mathew, P.M. Salim & Szlach. (Orchidaceae), a new species from the southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India, is described and illustrated based on morphological data. It has long been misidentified as C. fasciata, an Indo-Sri Lankan species. However, C. confusa differs from C. fasciata by its denser inflorescence w...

A taxonomic synopsis of the orchid genus Habenaria in New Guinea and adjacent islands is presented. We confirmed the occurrence of 27 Habenaria species in study area. Sixteen of these are endemic and were not so far found outside New Guinea. Morphological characteristics and illustrations of floral segments of taxa are presented. One new species of...

Sumbembayev AA, Abugalieva SI, Danilova AN, Matveyeva EV, Szlachetko DL. 2021. Flower morphometry of members of the genus Dactylorhiza Necker ex Nevski (Orchidaceae) from the Altai mountains of Kazakhstan. Biodiversitas 22: 3545-3555. Several species of Dactylorhiza (Orchidaceae) from the Altai mountains of Kazakhstan have been investigated regardi...

The aim of this paper is to present materials towards the taxonomic revision of Brachycorythis -complex (Orchidinae, Orchidaceae), which constitutes seven terrestrial genera and forty-eight species distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar and SW Asia. The detailed morphological descriptions, together with distribution data and ecological prefe...

Masdevallia Ruiz. & Pav. in the broad concept comprises about 350 species distributed from southern Mexico to southern Brazil with the highest diversity in the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. Until now, only six species have been found in Guatemala. While studying the diversity of the orchid flora in this megadiverse country, we c...

A taxonomic synopsis of the orchid genus Pterichis in Ecuador is presented. All national representatives of this genus are characterized and their floral segments are illustrated. Four new species and two new varieties are described. An updated key to Ecuadorian Pterichis is provided. Plants of the genus are growing mostly as terrestrial herbs at t...

Polystachya is a large, pantropical orchid genus of 200 species, most of which occur as epiphytes in sub-saharan Africa. The three-lobed labellum of most Polystachya species possesses a fleshy callus and various types of trichomes and papillae. In this paper, we present the results of micromorphological studies on the labellum of 20 species, repres...

The genus Dasyglossum Königer & Schildh. (Orchidaceae), is recognized as a segregate of the Cyrtochilum-alliance and a new species of Dasyglossum is described from near Mocoa, department of Putumayo, Colombia.

The results of preliminary research on Colombian species of the orchid genus Crocodeilanthe are presented. Records of two species previously not reported from this country are provided. Forty-one new species are described and illustrated. An updated key for the identification of Colombian Crocodeilanthe species is presented. Additionally, it is pro...

Telipogon aureus Lindl. in G. Bentham (Orchidaceae) Described as a Peruvian-Ecuadorian Species is Reported as an Addition to the Flora of Colombia.

Telipogon guacamayensis Dodson & R. Escobar (Orchidaceae) Described as an Ecuadorian Species is Reported as an Addition to the Flora of Colombia.

The genus Rhetinantha M.A. Blanco was segregated from Maxillaria s.l. in 2007. It embraces about 20 species formerly classified in M. acuminata alliance, section Digammae Christenson and its distribution ranges from Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. Representatives of Rhetinantha are subcaespitose to long rhizomatous with often ridged pseudobulbs. One...

A new species of Telipogon Kunth (Orchidaceae) is described from Santander, Colombia.

The genus Dasyglossum Königer & Schildh., (Orchidaceae) is recognized as a segregate of Cyrtochilum-alliance and a new species of Dasyglossum is reported from the Bota Caucana, Cauca, Colombia.

A new species of Caucaea Schltr. from Norte de Santander, Colombia is described.

The genus Cypripedium is one of five monophyletic genera within slipper orchids. Nuclear ribosomal ITS, nuclear low copy gene (ACO) and plastid data were used for molecular clock analyses. According to these analyses, the most recent common ancestor of Cypripedium appeared in the early Eocene. The Irapeana section is the oldest phylogenetic line wi...

Cranichis crenatifolia Kolan. & Szlach. sp. nova (Orchidaceae) from the Colombian department of Putumayo is described and illustrated. It can be easily distinguished from all other members of the Pleioneura group in Cranichis by crenate and undulate leaf margins and hairy petals. It also differs from the somewhat similar C. atrata by having an obov...

A new species of Epidendrum, E. cusiyacoense, is described and illustrated based on Colombian material. The novelty belongs to the ‘Garayi subgroup’ and resembles the Ecuadorian endemic E. ilinizae, but is distinguished by the oblong‐lanceolate leaf which is over five times longer than wide, 2‐flowered inflorescence and entire, papillate lip margin...

Platanthera Rich. is a genus of ca. 125 species with a predominantly Northern Hemisphere distribution. A recent monograph of the genus did not cite important material from New Guinea. On the island the genus is represented by species from the tropical section Mecosa (Blume) Kraenzl. of subgenus Platanthera, which are not widely represented in herba...

Lepanthopsis undulata Kolan. & Szlach. sp. nova (Orchidaceae) is described and illustrated based on material collected in Colombia. It resembles L. peniculus from which it differs by having a smaller lip with undulate, obliquely triangular-ovate lateral lobes with somewhat elevated apical parts of lateral veins; and in the middle lobe of lip being...

This article is a presentation of taxonomic diversity of the orchid genusCyrtochilumin Northwestern South America. The morphological characteristics of over 90 speciesoccurring in northern Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela are presentedtogether with illustrations of theirfloral segments. Information about the distributionof each taxon is provid...

The genus Sauvetrea Szlach. (Orchidaceae) was segregated from Maxillaria sensu lato in 2007. It embraces a group of from 10 to nearly 20 species, all initially defined as Maxillaria sect. Trigonae. Sauvetrea can be easily distinguished from closely related Rhetinantha M.A.Blanco by the lip callus. During the revision of the materials stored in AMES...

Molecular phylogenetics has now provided a new approach to the taxonomy of Oncidiinae and related taxa. The concepts of numerous previously accepted genera and their interrelations have been brought into question. One of the most significant changes in the systematics of Oncidium-like orchids concern the recognition of Gomesa and its closely allied...

A new species of the orchid genus Ornithocephalus, O. leslie-garayi, is described and illustrated based on Colombian material. The novelty resembles O. kruegeri and O. caveroi. It differs from the former by the lip being strongly constricted between hypo-and epichile, the hypochile being ornamented with glandular, fleshy hairs exclusively in the ba...

In 1984, Benjamin Øllgaard and his colleagues during their expedition to Ecuador discovered a new species of Elleanthus (Orchidaceae). They deposited the original material in the Missouri Botanical Garden Herbarium but they failed to publish a description of their discovery. A few years later in 1991, Calaway H. Dodson named it Elleanthus ollgardii...

The first report on pollination of two Neotropical orchid species, Masdevallia floribunda Lindl., M. tuerckheimii Ames and their hybrid by fruit flies is presented. Two presumably undescribed species of the genus Zygothrica, tentatively named as Zygothrica spec. 1 and spec. 2, were observed as pollinators. The distinct hypercephaly in the examined...

Szlachetko D. L., Olędrzyńska N. & Lipińska M. M. 2019. Three new species of the genus Rhetinantha (Orchidaceae) from Colombia and Peru. – Phyton (Horn, Austria) 59 (1–2): 49–53, with 7 figures.* The genus Rhetinantha has been segregated from Maxillaria sensu lato in 2007 by Blanco & al. It embraces about 20 species formerly classified in the M. ac...

Heteranthocidium universitas-lodziensis, a new orchid species from Ecuador is described and illustrated. Morphologically, the novelty resembles H. echinops and H. hirtzii but differs from these taxa by having unequal tepals with petals being longer than the dorsal sepal, apically retuse petals, lip being broader than long and ornamented with a pand...

The neotropical genus Encyclia has been described in 1828 by Hooker. It comprises over 150 species of orchids that occupy mainly seasonally dry habitats in tropical and subtropical America and are usually restricted to one or a few ecoregions. The phylogeny of Encylia has been subjected to an extended investigation since the beginning of the 20th c...

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, no...

A new species of the orchid genus Myoxanthus, M. oliviae, is described based on Peruvian material. The novelty resembles M. serripetalus from which it differs by the 7‐8‐veined lateral sepals (vs 6‐ or 9‐veined), the petals contracted below the apex and expanded again into sagittate apex (vs apex caudate) and the entire lip middle lobe (vs. fimbria...

During the studies on Pleurothallidinae (Orchidaceae), a new species of Lepanthes with unusual connate petals was discovered in Colombian material. Hereby we describe it as Lepanthes torquipetala Szlach. & Archila, sp. nova. In this article, we provide its morphological description and an illustration, and briefly discuss its taxonomic position.

The Neotropical orchid genus Ponthieva R. Br. was established in 1813. The 70 representatives of this taxon are terrestrial, lithophytic, or epiphytic plants with basal, sessile, or petiolate leaves which are glabrous or pubescent. Their erect peduncle is pubescent and terminated by lax, few-to many-flowered raceme. Flowers are non-resupinate, with...

Two new species of the orchid genus Quekettia are described. Colombian Quekettia aureliae is distinguished from similar Q. microscopica by the pandurate lip with a pair of small, flap‐like calli in the isthmus between hypo‐ and epichile, and deeply emarginated epichile apex. Quekettia senghasiana found in Guyana resembles Q. papillosa but it is cha...

Prescottia sibundoyensis S. Nowak, Kolan., Medina Tr. & Szlach. sp. nova (Orchidaceae) is described and illustrated from Colombia. It resembles P. lojana, but differs from it by hyaline-white, crisped-dentate leaf blade margins and prominent floral bracts. Prescottia sibundoyensis can also be distinguished by its long leaf petiole, truncate leaf ba...

The genus Cuitlauzina is comprised of species of horticultural interest and is relatively well known. Hitherto six species have been recognized, all of them reported in Mesoamerica. Recently, new explorations in Guatemala revealed the existence of an undescribed taxon. In this article we describe it as Cuitlauzina cariasii, a striking novelty from...

Pterichis aragogiana Kolan. & Szlach. sp. nova (Orchidaceae) is described and illustrated based on Ecuadorian material. It can be distinguished from other species of sect. Pterichis by the narrow, almost linear petals, sepals with almost caudate apical portions, prominent lip middle lobe which is longer than the basal part of the lip, and by the ap...

Three new species of the Neotropical orchid genus Telipogon, T. tachirensis, T. ventaquemadensis and T. amiro-medinae, are described and illustrated. All novelties are characterized by a non-hairy gynostemium. They may be distinguished from similar taxa based on inflorescence form, relative petal size as well as lip shape, venation and ornamentatio...

A new species of the orchid genus Stellilabium is described and illustrated based on Colombian material. It can be distinguished from the similar species S. pogonostalix and S. andinum based on the lip middle lobe surface (ciliate only along middle part of margins), rounded lip apex and lower part of gynostemium being minutely ciliate with tufts co...

Andinia panica, previously known exclusively from the type locality in Ecuador, is reported for the first time from Colombia. Characteristic of population found in Valle de Sibundoy is provided together with photographs of the specimen and information about its habitat. Moreover, the comparative morphology of species included in Andinia subgenus Mi...