KEW BULLETIN VOL. 68: 341 Y 344 (2013) DOI 10.1007/S12225-013-9451-3
ISSN: 0075-5974 (print) ISSN: 1874-933X (electronic)
A new synonym and lectotypification of Aphyllorchis caudata (Orchidaceae) H. Z. Tian1, X. L. Li1 & C. Hu1 Summary. Aphyllorchis annamensis Aver., a narrow-endemic to Vietnam is reduced as a synonym of A. caudata Rolfe ex Downie. A lectotype is also designated for A. caudata. Key Words. Aphyllorchis annamensis, Hainan, taxonomy, typification, Vietnam.
Introduction The genus Aphyllorchis Blume (Orchidaceae) comprises about 33 species distributed from Sri Lanka, the western Himalayas and China through Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines eastward to New Guinea and Australia (Pridgeon et al. 2005). The plants of Aphyllorchis are leafless and holomycotrophic; stems erect and unbranched; inflorescence racemose with many resupinate flowers; sepals and petals similar, but petals shorter and narrower; lips divided into hypochile and epichile. A. annamensis Aver., a narrow-endemic species of the genus, is found only in Vietnam, whereas A. caudata Rolfe ex Downie is known to occur in China (S. Yunnan), Thailand and Vietnam. During our study on the orchids of Wuzhishan National Nature Reserve, Hainan, we have found that A. annamensis Aver. is conspecific to A. caudata and therefore merged with the earlier published species A. caudata. We have further noticed that there is a need for typifying the name ‘Aphyllorchis caudata Rolfe ex Downie’ and thus a lectotype is selected for the same in the present treatment. A detailed description and a photographic plate are provided to facilitate identification of the species. Discussion on the status of Aphyllorchis annamensis Aver. While describing Aphyllorchis annamensis, Averyanov (1996) mentioned that his species was similar to A. caudata but differed in long caudate tips of petals and lip. However, we have observed that the types of A. caudata possess flowers with long caudate apex of sepals and petals, and the lip is just a little shorter than the sepals. The other specimens of A. caudata preserved in HITBC, K and PE show similar characters to the types. The types of A. annamensis preserved in LE and P show that the circumscription of A.
annamensis is within the range of variation (Table 1) of A. caudata. Therefore, on applying the Principle of Priority of the Melbourne Code (McNeill et al. 2012) Aphyllorchis annamensis is treated here as a heterotypic synonym of A. caudata.
Lectotypification of Aphyllorchis caudata Rolfe ex Downie D. G. Downie (1925) validated ‘Aphyllorchis caudata’, a name in Rolfe’s manuscript, based on the specimens (types) collected by Kerr (Kerr 316) from ‘Doi Suthep’ at ‘1050 m’ elevation and Henry (Henry 12969) from ‘Szemao’ at ‘1200 m’ elevation. During our study we have traced three specimens of A. caudata collected by Kerr and one specimen collected by Henry. Among these three specimens collected by Kerr, one (K000595970) is without collection number (Kerr 316) and thus not cited in the protologue. Further, the elevation mentioned in the protologue (1050 m) and written on the label of Kerr’s collections are not the same. According to label data, the specimens deposited at K with the date ‘October 6th 1912’ were collected at ‘3500 feet’ (c. 1067 m) elevation, whereas the other two specimens deposited at K were collected at ‘900 m’ (Kerr s.n. dated ‘October 25th 1914’) and ‘1200 m’ (Kerr 316 dated ‘October 31 st 1909’) elevations. So, if we strictly follow the protologue, Kerr 316 (two specimens) with date ‘October 6th 1912’ and elevation ‘3500 feet’ and Henry 12969 (one specimen) are the types of A. caudata as the label data on these specimens are closest to the data provided in protologue. However, it is obvious from the labels of the other two of Kerr’s collections that these specimens were also studied by Rolfe and Downie before describing A. caudata and therefore are parts of ‘original material’ fide Art. 9.3 of Melbourne Code (McNeill et al. 2012). Hence, A.
Accepted for publication 1 May 2013. Published online 25 May 2013 1 School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China. e-mail:
[email protected]
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Table 1. Morphological comparisons between Aphyllorchis caudata and A. annamensis. Character
A. caudata
A. annamensis
Inflorescence (cm) Floral bracts (cm) Pedicel and ovary (cm) Dorsal sepal (cm) Lateral sepal (cm) Petals (cm) Hypochile (cm) Epichile (cm)
up to 70 3.5 – 5 × 0.3 – 0.6 2.2 – 5 3 – 3.5 × 0.6 – 0.8, long caudate apex 3 – 3.5 × 0.4 – 0.7, long caudate apex 2 × 0.25 – 0.7, acuminate to long caudate apex 0.2 – 0.3 × 0.3 – 0.4 3 lobed, 1.2 – 1.5 × 0.5 lateral lobes, 0.5 midlobe acute or acuminate to caudate 1.0 – 1.1 × 0.4 – 0.45. 1.1 – 1.4
up to 30 3 – 4 × 0.3 – 0.4 3.5 – 4 1.8 – 4 × 0.4, long caudate apex 1.8 – 4 × 0.4, long caudate apex 1.8 – 4 × 0.3, long caudate apex 0.3 – 0.4 × 0.1 3 lobed, 1.1 – 1.6 × 0.4 lateral lobes, 0.5 midlobe caudate, 0.8 – 1.2 × 0.4 1 – 1.4
Column (cm)
caudata was described based on more than one specimen of ‘original material’ and the author did not mention any particular one as holotype or ‘type’. Seidenfaden (1978) cited Kerr’s specimens (‘1050 m’ as per protologue and c. ‘1067 m’ according to label data) deposited at BK and K as types, without mentioning which particular one was to be treated as ‘type’ (or ‘lectotype’). Therefore, for the purpose of precise application of the name, the specimen deposited at K (Kerr 316, K000595968) is designated here as lectotype of A. caudata according to Art. 9.11 of Melbourne Code (McNeill et al. 2012) as it corresponds most closely to the protologue.
Taxonomic treatment Aphyllorchis caudata Rolfe ex Downie (1925: 415); Seidenfaden (1978: 118); Zhu (1999: 84); Chen & Gale (2009: 178). Types: Doi Sutep, 3500 ft, 6 Oct. 1912, Kerr 316 (lectotype (designated here), K (K000595968), photo!); Doi Sutep, 1200 m?, 31 Oct. 1909, Kerr 316 (syntype K, photo!); Doi Sutep, 900 m, 25 Oct. 1914, Kerr s.n. (K, photo!); Szemao, 4000', Henry 12969 (syntype K, photo!). A. annamensis Aver. (Averyanov 1996: 82); Averyanov & Averyanova (2003: 11); Averyanov (2011: 26), synon. nov. Type: Vietnam, Prov. Kon Tum, Distr. Dak Gley, 3 Dec. 1995, Averyanov, Hiep & Binh VH 2221 (holotype LE, photo!; isotypes AAU, HN, MO, P, photo!). Herbs, holomycotrophic, up to 1.5 m tall. Stems 51 – 150 cm tall, 2 mm thick, brownish yellow to brownish green, erect, unbranched, with many membranous sheaths. Sheaths tubular, 0.6 – 4.6 × 0.4 – 1 cm. Inflorescence racemose, terminal, laxly with many wellspaced flowers, 30 – 70 cm. Floral bracts narrowly lanceolate, reflex at apex, 3.5 – 5 × 0.3 – 0.6 cm, light yellowish green. Flowers 2.6 cm long, creamy white to yellowish with small grey marks; pedicel plus ovary © The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2013
2.2 – 5 cm, glabrous. Sepals long caudate, 3-veined; dorsal sepal narrowly ovate to lanceolate, slightly outcurved at apex, 1.8 – 4 × 0.4 – 0.8 cm; lateral sepal narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 1.8 – 4 × 0.4 – 0.7 cm. Petals lanceolate, sometimes a little shorter than sepals, 1.8 – 4 × 0.25 – 0.7 cm. Lip fleshy, 1.3 – 2 cm long; hypochile concave, fused with broad base of column, 2 – 4 mm long, white to yellowish tinge, with 2 ligulate wings of 4 mm long in each side; epichile ovate, 1.2 – 1.6 cm × 4 – 5 mm, 3-lobed, lateral lobes erect, suborbicular, 5 mm long, with densely dull violet veins, midlobe triangular-ovate, adaxially papillose with white flecks, acuminate to caudate at the apex, with fat warty margin, 8 – 12 mm long. Column slightly arcuate, winged toward apex, 1 – 1.4 cm long, pale yellow-green in the upper part and violet to reddish in the lower part. Stigma oblong concave. Anther-cap broad-triangular, 2 × 2 mm, pale creamy white. Pollinarium 2, granular-farinaceous, without caudicles. Capsule with short pedicel. Fig. 1. DISTRIBUTION. Southern China, Thailand and Vietnam. SPECIMENS EXAMINED. CHINA. Hainan: Wuzhishan
National Nature Reserve, 1100 m, besides the travelling road, under the forests, 5 March 2012, Tian & Li 655 (HSNU); Xishuangbanna: Jinghong, Dadugang, under evergreen forest, 1100 m, 17 Oct. 2004, Zhou 2135 (PE); Jinghong, Naban, Bianfuqing, on the slope, 26 Oct. 1988, Tao 43630 (HITBC); Menghai, Mangao Nature Reserve, 22 Jan. 1982, Xu & Li 23107 (HITBC); Yunnan: Szemao, 1219 m, Henry 12969 (syntype K, photo); Chenkang, thick oak woods, thick humus, heavy shade, 2650 m, March 1936, Wang 72538 (PE). THAILAND. Doi Sutep, 1200 m?, 31 Oct. 1909, Kerr 316 (syntype K, photo); Doi Sutep, 1067 m, 6 Oct. 1912, Kerr 316 (lectotype K, photo); Doi Sutep, 900 m, 25 Oct. 1914, Kerr s.n. (K, photo). VIETNAM. Pro. Kon Tum, Distr. Dak Gley, about 7 – 8 km to the S
A NEW SYNONYM AND LECTOTYPIFICATION OF APHYLLORCHIS CAUDATA (ORCHIDACEAE)
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Fig. 1. Aphyllorchis caudata. A habit; B flowers; C flowers; D flowers; E type (6 Oct. 1912, Kerr 316); F type (31 Oct. 1909, Kerr 316) ; G close-up of one flower from F. C from Averyanov (2011), D from Chen (1999). PHOTOGRAPHS A, B BY H. Z. TIAN.
of Dak Gley town on Dak Poko river near Dak Tung village, 900 – 1100 m, 3 Dec. 1995, Averyanov, Hiep & Binh VH 2221 (photo holotype LE, photo; isotype P, photo). HABITAT. Aphyllorchis caudata is usually found under shade in the forests; 900 – 1200 m alt. CONSERVATION STATUS. According to the number of the specimens and populations, Aphyllorchis caudata should be treated as Endangered (EN, A2c) based on the IUCN Red List criteria (IUCN 2001). PHENOLOGY. Flowering Oct. – March.
ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet caudata is in refer-
ence to the distinct sepals with long cauda.
Acknowledgements We are indebted to the staff of Wuzhishan National Nature Reserve and also grateful to L. V. Averyanov (Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Science) for sending the original literature of Aphyllorchis annamensis and the curators of K, LE and P for providing the photographs of the types of Aphyllorchis caudata © The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2013
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and A. annamensis. We are thankful to Avishek Bhattacharjee (Central National Herbarium, Botanical Survey of India) for his excellent suggestions. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30900077) and Shanghai Educational Development Foundation (1CG25).
References Averyanov, L. V. (1996). New species of orchids (Orchidaceae) from Vietnam. Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad): 81: 73 – 83. ____ (2011). The orchids of Vietnam illustrated survey part 3. Subfamily Epidendroideae (primitive tribes – Neottieae, Vanilleae, Gastrodieae, Nervilieae). Turczaninowia 14(2): 15 – 100. ____ & Averyanova, A. L. (2003). Updated Checklist of the Orchids of Vietnam, pp. 11. Vietnam National University Publishing House, Hanoi. Chen, S. C. & Gale, S. W. (2009). Aphyllorchis. In: Z. Y. Wu, P. H. Raven & D. Y. Hong (eds), Flora of China 25 (Orchidaceae), pp. 177 – 179. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
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