First record of Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum (Orchidaceae) in the State of Alagoas, Northeast BrazilABSTRACT
(First record of Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum (Orchidaceae) in the State of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil). The occurrence of Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum is here reported for the first time in the State of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil. We present comments on diagnostic morphological characteristics, habitat, geographic distribution and photographs of C. saintlegerianum. The record of C. saintlegerianum in Alagoas is the easternmost in the distribution range of the species. The newly found population is represented by 10-15 individuals and is threatened by human actions, particularly fire, deforestation and illegal collections. We recommend that the implementation of management and conservation strategies for C. saintlegerianum in Alagoas encompass the awareness and participation of local residents.
Keywords:
Caatinga stricto sensu; epiphyte; new occurrence; Olho d’Água das Flores; orchids
RESUMO
(Primeiro registro de Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum (Orchidaceae) no Estado de Alagoas, Nordeste do Brasil). A ocorrência de Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum é aqui relatada pela primeira vez no Estado de Alagoas, Nordeste do Brasil. Apresentamos comentários sobre características morfológicas diagnósticas, habitat, distribuição geográfica e fotografias de C. saintlegerianum. O registro de C. saintlegerianum em Alagoas é o mais oriental na área de distribuição da espécie. A população recém-encontrada está representada por 10-15 indivíduos e está ameaçada por ações humanas, particularmente incêndios, desmatamento e coletas ilegais. Recomendamos que a implementação de estratégias de manejo e conservação para C. saintlegerianum em Alagoas envolva a conscientização e a participação dos moradores locais.
Palavras-chave:
Caatinga stricto sensu; epífita; nova ocorrência; Olho d’Água das Flores; orquídeas
Introduction
The neotropical genus Cyrtopodium R.Br. (Orchidaceae) has ca. 50 species and is widely distributed from the southern United States to Argentina (Romero-González et al. 2008, POWO 2025). In Brazil, Cyrtopodium is represented by 37 species and occurs in the six phytogeographic domains, with the Cerrado being the center of endemism and diversity of the genus, and all federative units of the country except the State of Acre (Romero-González et al. 2008; Batista & Bianchetti 2025a). It is characterized by sympodial growth with generally fusiform pseudobulbs (which are frequently aphyllous when old), plicate, coriaceous leaves, basal, multiflora, racemose or paniculate inflorescences with resupinate and showy flowers which are often yellowish and have petals generally smaller and wider than the sepals and a trilobate lip with a usually reniform frontal lobe (Batista & Bianchetti 2025a).
Here, we report the occurrence of Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum Rchb.f. in the State of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. We present comments on diagnostic morphological characteristics, habitat, geographic distribution and photographs of C. saintlegerianum.
Material and Methods
The expansion of the geographic distribution of C. saintlegerianum was confirmed through the analysis of two specimens from the State of Alagoas. The individuals were photographed with a Canon EOS Rebel T7i camera, collected using standard taxonomic techniques (Peixoto & Maia 2013) and deposited in the ARA and MAC herbaria (Thiers 2025, continuously updated). The collected specimens were identified by analyzing the main bibliographies related to the genus, especially the study of Batista & Bianchetti about Cyrtopodium from Brazil (Batista & Bianchetti 2025a) and the protolog of C. saintlegerianum (Reichenbach filius 1885).
We consulted the ARA and MAC herbaria and the GBIF (2025), JABOT (2025) and speciesLink (2025) databases in search of records of C. saintlegerianum specimens that could have been previously collected in the State, but we did not find any material, which allowed us to validate our judgment. After confirmation of the identity of the specimens, we extracted the information regarding the coordinates of the collection sites on the labels of the exsiccates included in these databases, according to Magdalena et al. (2018). A map of the species’ distribution in Brazil was then prepared in QGIS software version 3.22.5 based on the available coordinates.
Results and Discussion
Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum Rchb.f. Flora 68: 301. 1885.
Material examined: BRASIL. ALAGOAS: Olho d’Água das Flores, Fazenda Baxio, Sítio Serrinha, 13-X-2024 (fl.), A.R. Pereira 1 (ARA); Ibid., 13-X-2024 (fl.), A.R. Pereira 2 (MAC).
Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum is a highly ornamental epiphytic species and presents morphological characteristics typical of the genus (see Introduction), being also characterized by its showy flowers with yellow sepals and petals speckled with red, which have red, parallel to confluent lateral lobes and a central lobe with a clearly warty margin (figure 1). The species occurs in Paraguay and Brazil (POWO 2025), and in the latter it is distributed in the phytogeographic domains of the Amazon, Caatinga and Cerrado, from more open vegetation types such as palm groves to riparian or gallery forests (Batista & Bianchetti 2025b). In Northeastern Brazil, C. saintlegerianum occurs in the States of Bahia, Pernambuco and Piauí (Batista & Bianchetti 2025b). The new record of C. saintlegerianum in Alagoas is the easternmost occurrence in the distribution of the species (figure 2).
Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum Rchb.f. A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Flower in front view. D. Flower in lateral view. Photographs by Alenilson Rodrigues Pereira.
Distribution map of Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum Rchb.f. in Brazil based on coordinates available in the consulted botanical databases and of the new record, which is highlighted with a red star. Map prepared by Ana Laura da Silva Luz.
There were records of only two species of Cyrtopodium in the State of Alagoas until now: Cyrtopodium flavum Link & Otto ex Rchb.f. and Cyrtopodium holstii L.C.Menezes (Batista & Bianchetti 2025c, 2025d). Cyrtopodium saintlegerianum can be distinguished from the two of them primarily by its epiphytic habit (vs. terrestrial or rupicolous in C. flavum and C. holstii). It can be further distinguished from C. flavum by its maculate sepals and petals (vs. immaculate in C. flavum), sepals that are elliptical and longer than the petals (vs. broadly ovate to broadly elliptical and of similar size as petals), obovate petals (vs. broadly elliptical), lateral lobes of the lip showing similar length to the central lobe (vs. lateral lobes shorter than the central lobe), and central lobe with warty margin (vs. smooth, non-warty margin). In turn, C. saintlegerianum can be distinguished from C. holstii by the obovate shape of the petals (vs. elliptical) and dolabriform lateral lobes (vs. pyriform to spatulate) (Batista & Bianchetti 2025b, 2025c, 2025d). Our data expand the knowledge about the orchid flora of Alagoas, also contributing to floristic data of the Caatinga where 146 orchids species are known to occur, including six of Cyrtopodium (Silva et al. 2024, Flora e Funga do Brasil 2025). Among the Cyrtopodium species found in the Caatinga, C. saintlegerianum is the only one with epiphytic habit (Batista & Bianchetti 2025a), what facilitates its immediate recognition in the field.
In Alagoas, individuals of C. saintlegerianum were found in a non-protected remnant of Caatinga stricto senso in the municipality of Olho d’Água das Flores, at about 300 meters elevation, growing on the stems of Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc. (Arecaceae) (figure 1). This result is in line with Petini-Benelli & Lobo (2010) who highlighted that C. saintlegerianum forms showy clumps usually on palm trees, and Batista & Bianchetti (2025b) who reported S. coronata as a common phorophyte for this orchid species in the Northeastern Brazil. The newly found population of C. saintlegerianum is represented by 10-15 individuals and is subject to human actions, particularly fire, deforestation and illegal collections. In areas of the Brazilian Pantanal, local residents use the mucilage produced in the pseudobulbs of C. saintlegerianum as wood glue, generating income, and they are primarily responsible for the maintenance of populations of this species (Petini-Benelli et al. 2009). Thus, we recommend that the implementation of management and conservation strategies for C. saintlegerianum in Alagoas involve the awareness and participation of local residents.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Universidade Federal do Alagoas for logistical support and Ana Laura da Silva Luz for preparing the map.
Data availability statement
The dataset is contained within the manuscript itself.
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