Brazilian Orchids

Introduction

This genus inside Laeliinae has been described in 1935 based on plant collected in Corcovado Hill and named Pseudolaelia corcovadensis Pôrto & Brade but the first species described was vellozicola as Schomburgkia by Hoehne, in 1933. When Pôrto and Brade created the new genus, they transferred it as Pseudolaelia vellozicola (Hoehne) Pôrto & Brade (published in Arquivos do Instituto de Biologia Vegetal).
According to Pabst (l976), the genus is characterized by having 8 pollinia, tied in group of two (as found in Laelia), by the structure of the column, by the vegetative habit of the plant with its long rambling rhizome of 10 cm (or more) long, by the homoblastic pseudobulbs covered by sheaths at the inferior leaves and by the big inflorescence from 50 - 80 cm long.

In 1946, eleven years after the description of the genus, Augusto Ruschi described a new genus (Renata) based on a species he named Renata canaanensis and published it in Publ. Arq. Público Estado Espírito Santo 1946. Later, in 1994, it has been transferred, by Fabio de Barros, to the genus Pseudolaelia.
So until 1949, when Ruschi described P. dutrae, the genus stayed with only two species.
In 1966, H. G. Jones stated his belief that Pseudolaelia vellozicola and corcovadensis were, in fact, natural hybrids from Schomburgkia and Encyclia.
Em 1967, quer dizer, quase 20 vinte anos depois, Pabst descreveu uma nova espécie: Pseudolaelia geraensis à qual se sucederam mais três.
In 1967, it means, almost 20 years later, Pabst described a new species: Pseudolaelia geraensis.
In 1972, Jonas confirmed the statement and considered that the other species were just additional forms of the same population (Taxon, Vol. 22, No. 2/3 (May, 1973), pp. 229-239). Both proposition were not accepted in general.
In 1973, he described two more species P. irwiniana and P. cipoensis.
In 1976, he described Pseudolaelia citrina which was his last description of a species inside the genus although he had, at least, two another plants that he considered, at first sight, as new species (see bellow).
In 1991, Rui J.V. Alves described a species (Pseudolaelia lymansmithii) occurring in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil and published it in Folia Geobot. Phytotax, Praha 27:189-191 9- Kolbek J. & Alves but in l994, Fabio de Barros considered as synonym of Epidendrum campestre Lindl.
So we should wait for more 27 years to know another species. Michel Frey, a French expert living in Brazil, who has been studying this genus for long time, started to bring to lights of the science the results of his amazing discoveries: four new species (perhaps five) and a natural hybrid:
He published Pseudolaelia brejetubensis (2003), Pseudolaelia maquijiensis (2005), Pseudolaelia pavopolitana (2005) and Pseudolaelia x perimii (Pseudolaelia brejetubensis Frey x Pseudolaelia freyi Chiron & V. P. Castro) (2005). In 2004, Chiron & V.P. Castro published Pseudolaelia freyi.
This genus asks for a revision since there are botanists who consider some species a little confused and may be synonyms not valid species. The answer for all those questions will, certainly, be found by Luiz Menini Neto who is doing the taxonomical revision, morfometric analyze and phylogeny of this genus, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Rafaela Campostrini Forzza and Prof. Dr. Cássio van den Berg.

Pseudolaelia species (Photo by Aleksandro Zaslawski)

Pseudolaelia Pôrto & Brade is not very well known genus in spite of having 12 species (4 recently described) and a natural hybrid (also recently described).
It is endemic to Brazil and, except for Pseudolaelia corcorvadensis in state of Rio de Janeiro (including Rio de Janeiro city) and Pseudolaelia vellozicola (Hoehne) Pôrto & Brade, in Bahia (1), the species are restrict to the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. The last state is the center of its distribution with 10 species and a hybrid. Minas Gerais has 8 species and three of them are endemic (Pseudolaelia cipoensis Pabst, Pseudolaelia geraensis Pabst and Pseudolaelia irwiniana Pabst).

from white to soft pink.

Greenish and yellow lemon lip

The main host of the genus is Vellozia but some species are rupicolous.

Notes:
P & D Nº - Number cited in the Orchidaceae Brasilienses - Pabst G. F.J. & F. Dungs, 1975

R = rupicolous
E = Epiphyte

(1) - Inclusion of the state of Bahia - Carl L. Withner - The Cattleyas and Their Relatives, Volume III and also exsiccate filed in the Herbarium Bradeanum (Maracás- Bahia - see bellow).
(2) - Pabst G. F.J. & F. Dungs, 1975 - Orchidaceae Brasilienses - Vol 1- K. Schmersow, Hildesheim
(8) - Inclusion of the state of Espírito Santo by Luiz Carlos Perim (see at Orchid News # 30)

Pseudolaelia auriculata Brieger = Pseudolaelia vellozicola (Hoehne) Porto & Brade
Pseudolaelia luteola Brieger (Invalid name) = Pseudolaelia citrina Pabst
Pseudolaelia lymansmithii R.J.V. Alves = Epidendrum campestre Lindl
Renata canaanensis Ruschi = Pseudolaelia canaanensis (Ruschi) F. Barros
Schomburgkia vellozicola Hoehne = Pseudolaelia vellozicola (Hoehne) Pôrto & Brade

When we consider studying orchid Brazilian species (and specially Pseudolaelia), we should consider doing a research at Herbarium Bradeanum (HB). Between the 880 types distributed by 53 families, we should emphasize that HB has one of the most important collection of Orchidaceae family (257) which corresponds to 10% of the total patrimony of this institution.
However, the most interest preciosities of the HB is Pabst's card index which is formed by 38.961 registers with information about orchids species. Those cards were the basis of the book "Orchidaceae Brasilienses". All information concerning genera and species of the Orchidaceae family, he could gather, was carefully transcribed to those cards: photocopies and original works about genera, such as "princeps" works, re-descriptions, species, keys to identify, types, phototypes (photography of the types), species, flattened perianths, basionyms, synonyms, watercolors by Samuel Salvado and Margarete Mee, besides the register of the exsiccates which are filed in Herbarium Bradeanum.
Some precious information about Pseudolaelia are found there. There are, at least, 30 cards concerning it and between them, there is one which immediately calls our attention: very small pressed flowers collected in Maria Madalena, by Brade.
However, the big surprises are in the collection of Pseudolaelia exsiccates. The holotypus of Pseudolaelia cipoensis Pabst and Pseudolaelia citrina Pabst and the isotypus of Pseudolaelia irwiniana Pabst are stored there. Between them, there is one that is not identified and there are two that, in spite of having a name (the first one given by Pabst and the second by Toscano de Brito), the plants have not been described. We don't know if Pabst hadn't time to do this or if later, he considered as a not valid species.

The first one is the file 67152, an unidentified species, where is written: "from Espírito Santo, Castelo, Forno Grande, Lajão 1.200m alt. Epiphyte on Velloziacea. Fleur Purple. Collected by A. C. Brade in 19781 in 12.V. 1949".

The second one is the 63562 file where is written: Pseudolaelia ghillany Pabst. Loc. Bahia - Maracás. Epiphyte on Vellozia with white flowers. Collected by A. Ghillany & R. Windish. 10.7.76.
(not described

The third one is the 70230 file where is written: Pseudolaelia burle-marxii Toscano n sp. inedit. Loc. Brazil - Espírito Santo, collected by Roberto Burle Marxi, blooming in culture in 19.1079 and identified by Toscano in 04.08.82.
(not described)

"Although similar to Pseudolaelia vellozicola, those plants do not grow on "vellozia" and have the lateral lobes very different from those of that species. The habitat is placed at 600m altitude in granitic inselbergs, between the "Vellozia" and do not accept any concurrence of other plants. it is situated in the Municipality of Guarapari, state of Espírito Santo and 7 km far from the city"
(Luiz Carlos F. Perim)

Pseudolaelia (Guarapari - ES). Photo:Luiz Carlos Perim

This genus is not widely found in particular collection. In general, they should be cultivated under intermediate conditions, almost exposed to the sun, however there are species that need less luminosity. Although Rio de Janeiro has a hot climate, Pseudolaelia corcovadensis and Pseudolaelia vellozicola are cultivated in Rio de Janeiro, at the Botanical Garden, but it is surrounding by the forest which makes the temperature to drop every day at night, all year along.

Pseudolaelia corcovadensis is cultivated in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro outside in full sun on a compact Vellozia which grows in sandy soil (at sea level).

Pseudolaelia vellozicola is cultivated in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro under strong luminosity inside the greenhouse.

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	P & D Number	Species	Description	Hab	Color	Altitude	St	St	St	St
01		Pseudolaelia brejetubensis M. Frey	2003	R	from white to soft pink.	1100/1400	ES	MG
02	932	Pseudolaelia canaanensis (Ruschi) F. Barros	1946	R	Yellow/Greenish	300/1.000m	ES
03	933	Pseudolaelia cipoensis Pabst	1973	E	Purple	1400m		MG
04		Pseudolaelia citrina Pabst	1976	E	Greenish and yellow lemon lip	1200m	ES	MG
05	934	Pseudolaelia corcovadensis Pôrto & Brade	1935	E	Dark Pink	500/700m	ES	MG		RJ
06	935	Pseudolaelia dutrae Ruschi	1949	E	Soft Pink	400/700m	ES	MG
07		Pseudolaelia freyi Chiron & V.P. Castro	2005	E	Soft Pink/White	1100/1400m	ES
08	936	Pseudolaelia geraensis Pabst	1967	E	Lilac		ES	MG
09	937	Pseudolaelia irwiniana Pabst	1973	E	Dark Pink	900m		MG
10		Pseudolaelia maquijiensis M. Frey	2005	R	Yellow/Greenish	700m	ES
11		Pseudolaelia pavopolitana M. Frey	2005	R	Yellow/Greenish	350m	ES
12	938	Pseudolaelia vellozicola (Hoehne) Pôrto & Brade	1933	E	Dark Pink	since sea level	ES	MG	BA
13		Pseudolaelia x perimii M. Frey	2005	R	variable	1100/1400	ES