ILLUSTRATIONS AND STUDIES IN NEOTROPICAL ORCHIDACEAE. 5. THE LEPANTHES OVALIS GROUP (PLEUROTHALLIDINAE) WITH THREE NEW SPECIES FROM COSTA RICA

We revise and characterize the group of species close to Lepanthes ovalis. Three new species from Costa Rica are described and illustrated. Lepanthes dikoensis Bogarin & C.M. Sm., sp. nov. is similar to L. viridis but differs mainly by the smaller leaves (to 4 cm long) and smaller flowers (to 6.5 mm in diameter), the glabrous petals with the lower lobe ovate, falcate, shorter than the lobes of the lip, both lobes yellow with red-orange and scarlet, the lip scarlet, apically yellowish and the appendix oblong. Lepanthes expansilabia Bogarin & C.M. Sm., sp. nov. is similar to L. erinacea but differs by the pendent plants, the petals with the lobes oblong, subsimilar, the lower lobe yellow, the lip spreading with the lobes separated and not touching each other, leaving the appendix exposed. Lepanthes tarrazuensis Bogarin & D. Jimenez, sp. nov. is similar to L. seegeri but differs in the glabrous petals, the lip glabrous with ciliate apices, the upper lobe of petals truncate, without lobules at the inner apical corner, the petals and lip basally red, tinged with yellow-orange at apex, the blades of the lip touching each other above the column and the appendix shorter, not extending far from the column. An illustration of L. et-incites, a key to the species of the group and a table summarizing the differences between the Costa Rican taxa are provided.