1997-06-13_REPORT - M1981302 ‎(17)‎

• Permit No: M1981302
• IBM Index Class Name: Report
• Doc Date: 6/13/1997
• From: WILLIAM F JENNINGS
• To: DICK ANTONIO
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Lomo,,a 16(1). 1084,pp 8-14
O 1984.b5'the New York Bmameal Garden.Bronx.NY 10458
SPIRANTHES DILUVIALIS (ORCHIDACEAE), ANEW
SPECIES FROM THE WESTERN UNITED STATES'
I CHARLES J. SHEVIAK
l Sheviak. Charles J. (Biological Surve), New York Stale Museum. The State
Education Department.Albany,NY 12230). Spirandics ditucrahs(Orchidaceae),
a new species from the westem United States. Brinonia 36: 8-14. 1984.—
Spir2mhes diluvielis,a species known from widely scattered localities in the west-
em United States, is formally described. It has been confused in the past with a
number of other species. Morphological characters and cytological data indicate
an ongin through hybridization of S. magnicamponan and S. roma zoffiona.
On 17 August 1880, Marcus E. Jones collected a set of Spiranthes specimens
at Salt Lake City, Utah (Jones 1908). which he determined as S. roman-ofana
Cham. Ames (1905) cited the collection under this species, but Correll (1950)
referred it to S.cernua(L.)L.C. Rich.This disagreement between the two principal
authorities on the genus, noted during work on the S. cernua complex, led me to
re-examine the specimens.The recognition of S. magnicamporunt(Sheviak, 1973)
and subsequent study of the complex (Sheviak, 1982) had indicated a more re-
stricted distribution of S. cernua toward its western limits than previously rec-
ognized. The westernmost collections known to me had proven to be S. ntagni-
camporunt. and S. cernua was unknown west of the Plains. Hence, the identity
of the Jones specimens was particularly interesting.
Examination of Jones 1908 at US (cited by Ames), MICH. MSC, and NY
showed the plants to be neither S. ronlanzofftana nor S. cernua. They appeared
to combine features of the former species with those of S. nnagnicamporum. but
a hybrid origin did not seem likely because the last species was unknown in the
intermountain region. In an effort to locate western specimens of S. ntagnicam-
porum and possibly others referable to the apparent hybrid. I borrowed material
from a number of western herbaria. No range extensions were found for S. mag-
nicamporunt, but several specimens were found which resembled Jones' plants
in gross morphology and were intermediate between S. magnicamporuni and S.
ronanzoJjiana. These specimens had been collected at widely scattered localities
in Utah and Nevada, and their distribution further suggested that they were not
mere hybrids. In 1980, a population of plants entirely comparable to those from
the Great Basin was discovered near Denver. Colorado, by S. Smookler and was
brought to my attention by W. A. Weber and R. A. Bye of the University of
Colorado. This discovery generated a great deal of interest in Colorado, and I
received an extraordinary amount of information from a number of people.
11 is evident that these plants have caused considerable confusion. Specimens
have been determined as S. rommco/liana. S. cernua. and S. porri(olia Lindl.,
and these misdeterininations have been the basis for reports from Utah of S.
r cernua (Ames, 1905: Correll. 1950; Holmgren. 1977) and S. porriloho (Correll,
t 1950; Luer, 1975). In part, this confusion stems from the complexity of S. ro-
manzojJiana. which is quite variable in portions of its range. Analysis or the
morphological variation in the apparent intermediates has led to a broader study
of the S. ronanzofana complex in the West. This work is being conducted in
' Published as New York Stale Museum Journal Series No. 420.