Two New Species of Orchid Found in Cuba
Posted on December 29, 2012
Two new species of orchid have been discovered in Cuba. The new species were found in the eastern and western zones of the island. They have been named Tetramicra riparia and Encyclia navarroi. A photograph of Encyclia navarroi is pictured above.
Researchers from the University of Vigo, in collaboration with the Environmental Services Unit at the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park (Cuba), discovered the two new species of Caribbean orchid.
Angel Vale, a researcher at the University of Vigo and co-author of the studies published by the journals Systematic Botany and Annales Botanici Fennici, said in a release, "The first species described, Encyclia navarroi, is an orchid with considerably large flowers. A year later we discovered the Tetramicra riparia species, with very small flowers. The latter is so named because it grows on the banks of stony streams in the mountains of Baracoa, one of the rainiest and least explored areas in Cuba. We could highlight their extraordinary capacity to interact with different types of pollinators. Contrary to most plants, many orchids do not produce nectar or other substances to compensate insects and birds that visit them."
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