Habenaria malipoensis Q. Liu & W. L. Zhang, 2017

Wen-Liu, Zhang, Jiang-Yun, Gao, Bo, Pan & Qiang, Liu, 2017, Habenaria malipoensis (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae: Orchidinae), a new orchid species from Yunnan, China, Phytotaxa 332 (1), pp. 93-97 : 93-96

Habenaria malipoensis Q. Liu & W. L. Zhang sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 , 2 )

Type: — CHINA. Yunnan: Malipo County, Xia jin-chang Town, limestone forest, 1580 m, 11 Aug. 2016, Q. Liu & W. L. Zhang 474 (holotype, HITBC!).

Diagnosis: — Habenaria malipoensis shows affinities with H. falcatopetala and H. wolongensis in having similar bilobed petals, but it can be easily distinguished from the H. falcatopetala by its small and orange-yellow flowers, flower bracts longer than pedicel and ovary, elliptic sepals with an awn and side lobes of labellum shorter than mid-lobe; from the H. wolongensis by its cauline and elliptic leaves clustered in the middle of stem, glabrous stem and rachis, narrowly falcate-lanceolate upper lobe of petals and significantly anterior lobe.

Terrestrial herbs, tuber ellipsoid, 3.4–3.8 cm long, 0.9–1.1 cm in diam. Stem erect, terete, 35.0–40.0 cm tall. Leaves 5–6, cauline, clustered in the middle stem, elliptic, acute or acuminate, 5.0–9.0 × 1.0–3.0 cm. Sterile bracts 2–3, erect, elliptic -lanceolate, 2.5–3.5 cm long, acuminate. Inflorescence lax, 16–19-flowered; rachis 21.0–24.0 cm long; floral bracts lanceolate, glabrous, acuminate, longer than pedicel and ovary, 18.2–19.1 × 3.4–3.7 mm. Flowers glabrous, orange-yellow, except stigma with green papillose; dorsal sepal elliptic, concave, acuminate with an awn at apex, 5.8–6.0 × 3.8–4.0 mm; lateral sepals spreading, similar but slightly longer and narrower, 6.6–6.7 × 2.6–3.2 mm; petals bilobed, posterior lobe erect, falcately-oblong, subcute, 4.9–5.8 × ca. 1 mm; anterior lobe ca. 0.5–0.7 mm long lobule, united with the base of the labellum; lip deeply 3-lobed to near the base, mid-lobe linear, 3.1–3.5 × 1.7–2.0 mm; lateral-lobes similar but shorter than mid-lobe, 2.1–2.5 × 0.8–1.0 mm; spur cylindric, pendent, slightly shorter than the ovary, 9.2–9.9 mm long; column ca. 3.3 mm long; anther canals 2.0– 2.3 mm long, straight projecting forwards, stigma ca. 1.2 mm long, pollen 1.1–1.4 mm length.

Phenology: —Flowering occurs from July to August, and fruiting from August to September.

Distribution and habitat: — Habenaria malipoensis grows under the limestone forests at 1500 to 1700 m in southeast of Yunnan, China, which mainly is composed of Quercus marlipoensis H. H. Hu & W.C. Cheng (1951: 142) , Q. utilis H. H. Hu & W.C. Cheng (1951: 146) , Platycarya strobilacea Siebold & Zucc. (1843: 5) , Manglietia grandis H. H. Hu & W. C. Cheng (1951: 158) , Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. (1821: 102) , Podocarpus macrophyllus (Thunb.) Sweet (1818: 211) .

Etymology: —The species is named after the type locality, Malipo County, Yunnan province, China.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— CHINA. Yunnan Province, Malipo County, Xia Jin-Chang Town, limestone forest, 1620 m, 7 Aug. 2017, Q. Liu & W. L. Zhang, 475 (HITBC!).

Discussion: —Morphologically, this new species is similar to H. falcatopetala and H. wolongensis by having bilobed petals. However, it can be distinguished from the H. falcatopetala by its small and orange-yellow flowers, flower bracts longer than pedicel and ovary, elliptic sepals with an awn and side lobes of labellum shorter than mid-lobe (big and pale green flowers, flower bracts slightly shorter than pedicel and ovary, oblong-elliptic sepals with shortly macronate and side lobes of labellum longer than mid-lobe in H. falcatopetala ) ( Chen et al. 2009; Kurzweil 2009); from the H. wolongensis by its cauline and elliptic leaves clustered in the middle of stem, glabrous stem and rachis, narrowly falcate-lanceolate upper lobe of petals and significantly anterior lobe (basal and cordate leaves, pubescent stem and rachis, ovate falcate- lanceolate upper lobe of petals and shortly anterior lobe in H. wolongensis ) ( Lang, 1984; Chen et al. 2009).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habenaria malipoensis. A. Plant with inflorescence. B. Roots and tubers. C. Flower. D. Each part of a flower. E. Front view of column. F. Pollinaria. G. Lateral view of column and spur. H. Flower bract. All from the type collection (Q. Liu & W. L. Zhang 474) and drawn by Bo Pan.

FIGURE 2. Habenaria malipoensis. A. Habitat. B. Roots and tubers. C. Flower. D. Each part of a flower. E. Front and lateral view of column. F. Pollinaria. G. Lateral view of column and spur. H. Flower bract. (Photographed by W. L. Zhang)