Orchis canariensis

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Orchis canariensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Orchis
Species:
O. canariensis
Binomial name
Orchis canariensis
Lindl. 1835

Orchis canariensis is a species of orchid endemic to the Canary Islands.

Description[edit]

Previously described as a subspecies of Orchis patens, it is now accepted as a separate species also supported by a molecular study that has highlighted a significant genetic difference between the two taxa.[1]

Orchis canriensis is a bulbous geophyte, which grows to 30 cm (12 in) basal leaves are wide, ovate, dark green and slightly shiny, and never spotted. Flower stems are green to reddish-purple. Flowers are lilac or pink, sometimes green in the central part of the sepal, with purple markings on the lower lips.

Seeds are clavate with 5 to 7 cells in the longitudinal axis. Seeds showed straight to sinuous anticlinal walls and no ornamentations in the periclinal walls. Seed length is around 300–350 μm (0.012–0.014 in) and width 150–200 μm (0.0059–0.0079 in).[2]

Biology[edit]

Orchis canariensis associates with the mycorrhizal fungus Tulasnella helicospora[3]

The chromosome number of Orchis canariensis is 2n=84[4]

Distribution and habitats[edit]

Orchis canariensis occurs in five out of seven Canary Islands (Spain), with the exception of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

It usually grows in rocky walls with mossy shelves with accumulation of litter and pine needles or in pine forests, generally occurring between 500 and 1,300 m altitude.

Conservation[edit]

Orchis canariensis is currently listed together with O. patens as “Endangered” in the European IUCN Red List[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Gargiulo, Roberta; Bersweden, Leif; Viruel, Juan; González-Montelongo, Cristina; Rebbas, Khellaf; Boutabia, Lamia; Fay, Michael F. (2021-04-01). "Molecular evidence of species- and subspecies-level distinctions in the rare Orchis patens s.l. and implications for conservation". Biodiversity and Conservation. 30 (5): 1293–1314. doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02142-6. ISSN 1572-9710. S2CID 233951980.
  2. ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Bazzicalupo, Miriam; González-Montelongo, Cristina; Rodríguez González, Daniel; Cornara, Laura (2022). "Seed micromorphology supports species delimitation of Orchis canariensis (Orchidaceae), an endemic orchid from the Canary Islands". Nature Conservation Research. 7 (3). doi:10.24189/ncr.2022.031. ISSN 2500-008X. S2CID 251419857.
  3. ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Voyron, Samuele; Ercole, Enrico; Girlanda, Mariangela (July 2020). "Is the Distribution of Two Rare Orchis Sister Species Limited by Their Main Mycobiont?". Diversity. 12 (7): 262. doi:10.3390/d12070262. hdl:2318/1769042. ISSN 1424-2818.
  4. ^ Bernardos, Sonia; García-Barriuso, Mónica; León-Arencibia, M. Catalina; Reyes-Betancort, Alfredo; González-González, Ricardo; Padrón, Miguel; Amich, Francisco (2006). "A cytotaxonomic study of three endemic orchids of the Canary Islands". Annales Botanici Fennici. 43 (3): 161–166. ISSN 0003-3847. JSTOR 23727206.
  5. ^ Rankou, Hassan (7 September 2022). "Orchis patens: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species".