RESTREPIA RESTREPOI: A NEW SPECIES FROM THE CLOUD FORESTS OF THE COLOMBIAN WESTERN ANDES

Abstract

A new species of Restrepia from the Department of Valle del Cauca, exclusively found in the montane rainforest of the Western Colombian Andes, is described and illustrated. This new species is morphologically similar to Restrepia chrysoglossa, another species endemic to Valle del Cauca; however, it can be distinguished by its brown-spotted sheaths, cleistogamous non-spreading flowers, oblong, attenuated, non-clavate dorsal sepal, and pyriform, when expanded, ovate lip. We discuss its morphological affinities and provide notes on its conservation status and ecology, highlighting its restricted distribution and potential threats to its habitat, along with a distribution map.