Saturday, April 11, 2020

[Botany • 2020] Calanthe sieboldopsis (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Collabieae) • A New Species from Luoxiao Mountains, eastern China


Calanthe sieboldopsis B.Y.Yang & Bo Li

in Yang, Luo, Huang, et al., 2020. 

Abstract
Calanthe sieboldopsis, a new species, is here described and illustrated from Luoxiao Mountains, Jiangxi Province, eastern China. It is morphologically similar to C. sieboldii Decne. ex Regel, but differs from the latter in having smaller flowers, longer spurs, rectangular mid-lobes with emarginate apex (vs. elliptic mid-lobes with mucronate apex), disc with 3 ridges and the proximal ends of the lateral 2 ridges enlarged with light reddish spots and minute white hairs (vs. disc with 5 ridges and 2 rows of white short hairs at base) and pollinia equal in size (vs. unequal in size). A preliminary risk-of-extinction assessment, according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, is given for the new species.

Keywords: Calanthe sieboldii, Critically Endangered, Jiangxi Province, Jinggangshan Mountain, morphology



Figure 1. Morphological comparison between Calanthe sieboldopsis B.Y.Yang & Bo Li, sp. nov. (A–F) and C. sieboldii Decne. ex Regel (a–f)
A, a habit B, b pollinia C, c flowers D, d column (top view) and base of lips E, e column (lateral view) and spur F, f dissection of a flower.


Figure 2. Line drawing illustration of Calanthe sieboldopsis B.Y.Yang & Bo Li, sp. nov. A habit B flower C column and lip (top view) D lip (bottom view) E ovary, column, lip and spur (lateral view) F dorsal sepal G lateral sepals H petals I column, rostellum and anther cap (uncovered) J anther cap (top view) K pollinia.

Calanthe sieboldopsis B.Y.Yang & Bo Li, sp. nov.

Diagnosis: This species is most similar to Calanthe sieboldii in habit, gross morphology and flower colour, but differs from the latter in having smaller flowers (dorsal sepal 15–20 mm in length in C. sieboldopsis vs. 22–30 mm in C. sieboldii, petals 15–17 in length vs. 19–24 mm), longer spurs (12–14 mm vs. 6–8 mm), lip mid-lobe nearly rectangular with emarginate apex (vs. elliptic with mucronate apex), disc with 3 ridges and the proximal ends of the lateral 2 ridges enlarged with light reddish spots and minute white hairs (vs. disc with 5 ridges and 2 rows of white short hairs at base), pollinia equal in size (vs. unequal in size with the lower 4 smaller and the upper 4 larger).

Etymology: The specific epithet “sieboldopsis” is a combination of two phrases “siebold” (which is derived from the specific epithet of the species C. sieboldii) and “opsis” (which means resembling), indicating that C. sieboldopsis is most similar to C. sieboldii.


 Bo-Yun Yang, Huo-Lin Luo, Wei-Chang Huang, Dong-Jin Xiong, Shao-Lin Tan and Bo Li. 2020. Calanthe sieboldopsis (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Collabieae), A New Species from Luoxiao Mountains, eastern China.  PhytoKeys. 145: 37-45. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.145.49386