Archivea
Archivea is a monotypic genus of orchids containing only the species Archivea kewensis. Known only from an 1823 watercolour illustration, it was described in 1996 by botanists Eric A. Christenson and Rudolf Jenny. It is believed to be native to Brazil, however, it has yet to be documented beyond the original 1823 illustration.
Taxonomy and history
A live specimen of the plant later described as Archivea kewensis was brought from Brazil to the United Kingdom in 1816, coming into the possession of amateur botanist W.R. Price. A watercolour illustration of this plant, painted by T. Duncanson and dated 29 July 1823, formed the sole basis of the species' scientific description over 150 years later. The illustration came to be held in the collection of the Royal [Botanic Gardens, Kew], where it was examined and annotated by German orchidologist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach. Reichenbach's note reads "Videtur Warmingia Rchb.f. g. aff. Notyliae brasiliense, Rchb.f.", alluding to a perceived similarity between the plant in the illustration and the Oncidiinae genus Warmingia.The genus Archivea and sole species A. kewensis were described by botanists Eric A. Christenson and Rudolf Jenny in the May 1996 issue of Orchids, the magazine of the American Orchid Society. Christenson and Jenny's description was translated into Brazilian Portuguese for publication in the Brazilian magazine Revista Orquidário, in the interest of raising awareness of this species among Brazilian orchid collectors and researchers. The 1823 watercolour illustration represents the type and only specimen. No measurements of the plant were recorded and no other specimens, living or pressed, are known. The generic and specific epithets reference the location of the type specimen in the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Though DNA analysis was not possible, Christenson and Jenny placed it in the subtribe Stanhopeinae based on morphological characteristics.