Orthilia secunda (L.) House

• Authority

  Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Pyrolaceae

• Scientific Name

  Orthilia secunda (L.) House

• Synonyms

  Ramischia secundiflora Opiz, Actinocyclus secundus var. elatior Lange, Pyrola secunda L., Orthilia parvifolia Raf., Ramischia secunda (L.) Garcke, Ramischia elatior (Lange) Rydb., Orthilia elatior House, Ramischia secunda var. elatior (Lange) Andres, Pyrola elatior (Lange) Lundell

• Description

  Species Description - Herbs or subshrubs, 1.2-2.7 (-3.3) dm tall. Leaves glossy, ovate, broadly ovate, or ovate-elliptic to orbicular, (1-)2-4.7(-5.8) × 0.7-2.8(-3.5) cm, basally rounded to acute, apically acute, obtuse, rounded, or mucronulate, surface discolorous, light green above, pale green below; petioles channeled above, smooth, 0.4-2 cm long, reddish-brown. Inflorescences usually solitary, erect, (6-)8-15(-20)-flowered; scape terete, 1-2(-3) dm tall, smooth; scape bracts membranaceous, subulate to narrowly ovate or broadly lanceolate, (3-)4-9 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, base auriculate and clasping, apex acuminate (rarely apiculate), margin somewhat hyaline, slightly erose-denticulate, light reddish-brown; flower-bearing portion of scape 2.5-5 cm tall, expanding in fruit, finely papillate or smooth; pedicels terete, finely papillate or smooth, (1-)3-7(-9) mm long, light reddish-brown; bracts subtending the pedicels membranaceous, subulate to lanceolate-ovate or narrowly ovate, abruptly acute, ± equal in length to the pedicels, 4-9 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, margin somewhat hyaline, slightly erose-denticulate, light reddish-brown, persistent. Flowers: calyx 1-2 mm long, lobes broadly triangular to ovate, bases overlapping, apically obtuse or rounded, slightly erose-denticulate, 0.5-1 mm long, 0.75-1.2 mm wide, margin erose-denticulate, greenish; corolla ca. 5-6 mm long, ca. 4 mm in diam., petals broadly ovate, 4.5-6 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, slightly erose-denticulate or irregularly toothed at the apex; stamens ca. 4-8 mm long; filaments ca. 3-6 mm long; anthers 1.2-1.8 mm long, anther sacs light-brown; ovary subglobose; style 3-5(-6) mm long; stigma ca. 1 mm in diam. Fruit 3-5 mm long, 4-6 mm in diam.

• Discussion

  Lange (1868) described the neotropical elements of the widespread and variable Orthilia secunda as Actinocyclus secundus var. elatior. The dimensions of the Mexican material available to him appeared to be greater than those of the nominate variety represented by European material and he thought that the leaves of his new variety were more acute and more distantly serrulate. Nonetheless, the dimensions Lange cited for this new variety fall within those given by Krísa (1972) and Shishkin & Bobrov (1967) for O. secunda in Flora Europaea and Flora of the U.S.S.R. (cited as Ramischia secunda), respectively. Rydberg (1914) elevated Lange’s var. elatior to the rank of species. He emphasized leaf shape, leaf margin, and bract shape differences rather than dimensions to separate var. elatior from var. secunda. These characters are no more reliable than those of dimensions.

• Distribution

  Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Coahuila Mexico North America| Distrito Federal Mexico North America| Guerrero Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| México Mexico North America| Michoacán Mexico North America| Nuevo León Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America| Tamaulipas Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Huehuetenango Guatemala Central America| Quezaltenango Guatemala Central America| Totonicapán Guatemala Central America|