Taeniophyllum (section Loboglossum Schltr.) pyriforme Schuit., Juswara & Droissart, 2016

Juswara, Lina, Schuiteman, Andre & Droissart, Vincent, 2016, Four new orchid species from the Lengguru fold belt, West Papua, Indonesia, PhytoKeys 61, pp. 47-59 : 52-54

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.61.7590

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AE5D0983-D429-5DAD-B78B-65ECE64AE058

treatment provided by

PhytoKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Taeniophyllum (section Loboglossum Schltr.) pyriforme Schuit., Juswara & Droissart
status

sp. nov.

Taeniophyllum (section Loboglossum Schltr.) pyriforme Schuit., Juswara & Droissart sp. nov. Figs 2D View Figure 2 , 4F-H View Figure 4

Diagnosis.

Differs from all known species in sect. Loboglossum by the finely muricate peduncle and the hook-like basal lobules of the lateral lobes of the lip.

Type.

Indonesia, West Papua Province, Kaimana Regency, Lobo village, Triton Bay, 03°43.7962'S, 134°3.5962'E, 28/10/2014, Droissart & Juswara 1735 (holotype: BO!, spirit material).

Description.

Leafless epiphytic herb. Stem very short; roots spreading, green, flattened, not branching, up to at least 35 cm long, 1.5-3 mm wide; some of the roots closely appressed to the bark of the phorophyte, others free hanging. Inflorescences c. 3 producing flowers at the same time, suberect, 5-6 cm long; peduncle filiform, 0.5 mm diam., rather sparsely muricate with c. 0.3 mm long projections; near the middle with a very small peduncle-scale; rachis distichous, glabrous, up to c. 16-flowered, with the flowers opening in succession, one or two at a time, gradually elongating, up to 11-14 mm long. Floral bracts cupular, in lateral view triangular, subacute, 1.2 mm long; successive bracts on the same side of the rachis 1.8 mm apart. Flowers apparently non-resupinate (always?), c. 5 mm high including the spur, glabrous, pale brownish yellow. Dorsal sepal ovate, 3.3 × 1.5 mm, obtuse, 3-veined. Lateral sepals somewhat obliquely ovate, 2.6 × 1.3 mm, obtuse; 3-veined; abaxially at the apex with a short lamella along the midvein. Petals obliquely ovate, 3.2 × 1.5 mm, obtuse, 3-veined. Lip spurred, 3-lobed, ecallose, margins erect to incurved, when flattened 2.7 × 3.2 mm; lateral lobes semi-oblong, rounded, 2.0 mm long from base of lip to base of mid-lobe, at the base with an erect, narrowly triangular-uncinate lobule; mid-lobe reniform, 0.7 × 1.2 mm, emarginate. Column short, cylindrical, 1.1 long, 1.0 mm wide, with a short, bidentate rostellum; stigma shallowly concave; anther cucullate, 0.9 cm long, 0.6 cm wide, apex rostrate, recurved; pollinia not seen.

Distribution and habitat.

Taeniophyllum pyriforme is only known from Papua. It is recorded from a single locality near the village of Lobo in the Triton Bay (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). The only population seen so far was found in submontane forest at 1114 m elevation, the plants growing epiphytically on a sparsely moss-covered tree trunk at 1.5 m above the ground.

Etymology.

From the Latin pyriforme, pear-shaped, referring to the shape of the spur.

Notes.

This inconspicuous but distinctive species would seem to fit best in section Loboglossum , on account of the clearly lobed lip, elongate inflorescence, distichous rachis, and glabrous ovary. However, a muricate inflorescence has not been reported for this section before (although the otherwise very different Taeniophyllum toranum J.J.Sm. is described as having a furfuraceous-punctate peduncle and rachis, while the no less distinct Taeniophyllum pulvinatum is said to have a minutely glandulose peduncle). The basal, hook-like lobules on the lip are also unique.

It is likely that a large number of species of Taeniophyllum still await discovery in New Guinea. We believe this to be the case because most of the species are easily overlooked; the flowers often last only a day or less; and many of the known species are only recorded from the type. New Guinea is clearly the centre of diversity for this genus, with 130 species currently recorded.