Malaxis soulei
Malaxis porphyrea
Chiricahua Adder's-mouth orchid, mountain malaxis
Cochise Adder's-mouth orchid
1, at middle or proximal 1/3 of stem, sheathing leaf bases persistent, shredding;
blade ovate-elliptic or oblanceolate, keeled abaxially, 2.4–15 × 1–5.2(–6) cm, apex acute.
1, within proximal 1/3 of stem;
blade orbiculate-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, (3–)4.1–8.5(–10) × 0.2–0.45(–0.65) cm, apex obtuse to acute.
spicate racemes, rachis thick, slightly ridged or fluted, 6–22 cm;
floral bracts triangular to lanceolate, 0.5–1 mm;
pedicels 1.3–1.7 mm.
racemes, 6–25 cm;
rachis slightly angled;
floral bracts triangular to lanceolate, 1–2 × 0.5 mm, apex acute;
pedicels not crowded, 2.5–5 mm.
40–160, not resupinate, green to yellowish green;
dorsal sepal ovate to elliptic, 1.5–2.8 × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex acuminate;
lateral sepals ovate to elliptic, falcate, 1.5–2.8 × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex acuminate;
petals strongly reflexed, filiform to linear, falcate, 1.3–2 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apex acuminate;
lip suborbiculate-ovate to subquadrangular-ovate, 1.5–2.8 × 1.3–2.2(–2.5) mm, base hastate-auriculate, apex obliquely 3-dentate or retuse with apiculum in sinus;
disc deeply concave, 5-veined;
column 0.2–0.5 × 0.2–0.5 mm;
pollinia yellow.
16–133, resupinate, deep maroon or greenish maroon;
sepals glabrous, not papillose;
dorsal sepal lanceolate, 1.8–2.4 × 0.8–1.2 mm, margins revolute, apex acute;
lateral sepals lanceolate-elliptic, falcate, 1.8–2.4 × 0.8–1.2 mm, apex acute;
petals strongly recurved, linear to filiform, slightly falcate, 1.8–2.2 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex obtuse;
lip triangular to triangular-lanceolate, 1.8–2.3 × 1.3–1.8 mm, base with auricles narrow and nearly parallel, apex broadly acuminate;
column 0.5–0.8 × 0.5–0.8 mm;
pollinia yellow.
ascending, ellipsoid, 7 × 3 mm.
ascending, ellipsoid, 5 × 3 mm.
5–15 mm diam.
5–10 mm diam.
Malaxis soulei
Malaxis porphyrea
Malaxis soulei grows in the Santa Catalina, Santa Rita, and Chiricahua mountains in Arizona, and in the Davis Mountains in Texas.
The flowers of Malaxis soulei are retained on the axis until the capsules are fully developed, unlike M. corymbosa and some other species where the flowers fall quickly if not fertilized. The apparently sessile flowers are a very distinctive characteristic of this species. The central apiculum of the lip may be obsolete, and the apex thus retuse.
The name Malaxis macrostachya has been applied to M. soulei (C. A. Luer 1975). It is a nomen confusum, however, and it is not clearly applicable to this species (L. O. Williams 1965).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Both Malaxis porphyrea and M. wendtii have been included incorrectly in M. ehrenbergii (D. S. Correll 1950; C. A. Luer 1975). The confusion among the taxa is discussed by T. K. Todsen (1997). Malaxis ehrenbergii is a Mexican species with its northernmost limit in southern Hidalgo, about 1200 km to the south of the ranges of the other two taxa, the southernmost ranges of which are in northern Chihuahua and Sonora. The following criteria are used to separate M. wendtii from M. porphyrea: the sepals of M. wendtii are papillose while the sepals of M. porphyrea are essentially glabrous, although they have prominent cell structures that may appear to be very small papillae; the lip of M. wendtii is linear to linear-lanceolate with a narrowly acuminate apex, and the auricles at the base of the lip are broad and diverging, while the lip of M. porphyrea is nearly triangular to triangular-lanceolate with a broadly acuminate apex, and the auricles at the base of the lip are narrow and nearly parallel. Also, M. wendtii has a denser inflorescence and the flowers are not quite as intensely colored as in M. porphyrea (R. A. Coleman, W. Jennings, pers. comm.).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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