Habenaria fimbriatiloba Kolan., 2015

Kolanowska, Marta, 2015, Habenaria fimbriatiloba (Orchidaceae), a new orchid species from China, Phytotaxa 201 (1), pp. 96-99 : 96-98

Habenaria fimbriatiloba Kolan. , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Species similar to H. linearifolia Maxim. , but distinguished by an oblong-ovate upper petal lobe, an entire petal lower lobe and longfimbriate lip lateral lobes.

Type:— CHINA. Jiangxi: Luoxi, Wuning, 1050 m, 2 August 2000, Zhang 1064 (holotype MO!).

Plant 60–90 cm tall. Leaves 5–6, cauline, linear-lanceolate, acute, decreasing in size upwards; 5–20 cm long, less than 0.5 cm wide; the uppermost two leaves bract-like. Raceme 6–11 cm long, laxly to subdensely several to many-flowered. Flowers white. Floral bract 5–12 mm long, shorter than ovary, lanceolate, acute. Ovary 7–15 mm long. Dorsal sepal 6.0– 6.5 mm long, 4.5–5.5 mm wide, ovate when spread, obtuse, concave in the natural position, 5-veined. Lateral sepals 5.9–7.5 mm long, 3.8–6.0 mm wide, obliquely elliptic, obtuse, 5–7-veined. Petal bilobed, 6.1–6.8 mm long, 4.8–5.5 mm wide, primarily 3-veined, upper lobe oblong-ovate, with an obtuse apiculate apex, lower lobe triangular, oblique, acute. Lip trilobed above the prominent claw; claw 3–5 mm long; middle lobe 5.5–12.0 mm long, linearligulate, obtuse; lateral lobes linear, 9–13 mm long, with several fimbriae above basal third or fourth. Spur 9–30 mm long, conical, narrowed at the apex, often incurved. Gynostemium 3.5–4.5 mm long, stigmatophores about twice as long as antherophores.

Etymology:—In reference to the shape of lateral lobes of the lip.

Distribution and Ecology:—So far this species is known from southeastern China where it was found growing in the valleys at 500–1050 m ( Fig. 2). Flowering occurs in August.

Additional specimen examined:— CHINA. Jiangxi: Ben An, Bailu, Ning Gang, 500–700 m, 10 August 1998, Ye 11446 (MO!).

Taxonomic notes:—In the flora of China, two species are similar to Habenaria fimbriatiloba : H. linearifolia and H. schindleri Schlechter (1920: 354) . However, in both those orchids the lower lobe of the petals is bifid ( Fig. 3 ). In H. linearifolia the lateral lobes of the lip are linear, slightly fringed in their apical half or third ( Fig. 3 ), and in H. schindleri they are obovate-oblanceolate and deeply and densely fimbriate. An additional difference is observed in the form of the lip middle lobe apex between H. schindleri and H. fimbriatiloba ; in the former it is abruptly narrowed in the apical third or fourth.

The new species somewhat resembles Japanese H. sagittifera Reichenbach (1845: 334) , but in this species lower lobe of the petals is uncinate, and the lip lateral lobes are not fimbriate. It is worthwhile mentioning that Kraenzlin (1892, 1897) in his treatment of Habenaria cited H. saggitifera Rchb. f. , but the characteristics of this species provided by Kraenzlin were those of H. linearifolia . In this treatment, Kraenzlin described a new species, H. oldhamii Kraenzlin (1892: 205) , which is probably conspecific with H. saggitifera Rchb. f. , which is characterized by the entire lateral lobes of the lip and triangular and ovate-lunate petals ( Schlechter 1919).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habenaria fimbriatiloba Kolan. A, Dorsal sepal. B. Petal. C, Lateral sepal. D. Gynostemium. E–F. Lip shapes. Scale bars = 3 mm. Drawn from the holotype. G. Lip and spur. Scale bar = 3 mm. Drawn from Ye 11446 (MO). H. Plant habit. Scale bar = 3 cm.

FIGURE 3. Habenaria linearifolia Maxim.: shape of lip and petal.