
Pleurothallis navisepala
Pleurothallis navisepala Pupulin, J.Aguilar & M.Díaz, Lankesteriana 17(2): 344. 2017.
Type: Costa Rica. Alajuela: San Ramón, Ángeles, Balsa, road between San Ramón and La Fortuna de San Carlos, 1150 m. 29 May 2013. F. Pupulin 8435, D. Bogarín, M. Díaz, & M. Fernández (holotype, JBL-spirit; LCDP voucher).
Illustrated specimen: Costa Rica. Alajuela: Ángeles, Reserva Forestal de San Ramón [Reserva Biológica A. M. Brenes], 800– 1000 m. 30 Dec 1991. M. Freiberg s.n. (JBL-spirit; LCDP voucher).
Etymology: From the Latin navis, “ship”, and sepala, “sepals”, in reference to the boat-shaped synsepal.
Pleurothallis navisepala is similar to P. cardiothallis, but usually produces two to four flowers at once (vs. flowers produced singly), bearing comparatively small flowers (vs. large) that do not spread out completely (vs. reflexed at maturity), provided with a deeply concave-navicular synsepal and porrect petals. The lip of P. navisepala is similar in size to that of P. cardiothallis, but the sysnsepal is much smaller, so that the ratio lip:synsepal is notably greater in the former. As in other species of the P. cardiothallis complex, P. navisepala exhibits two color morphs, one with purple flowers on a greenish white background and another with solid, bright yellow flower, which frequently coexist in the same populations.