Corresponding author: Ying Tang (
Academic editor: Vincent Droissart
A new orchid species,
Wang X-M, Tang Y, Peng P-H, Peng H (2022)
The genus
Given the fact that
When transferring
During the field trip in 2013 to collect
During our field investigation to Minjiang River Valley, Songpan, Sichuan, China in 7–9 June 2022, two populations of the new taxon with 12 flowering individuals were found. One population (ZJG) occurs at the same locality that was visited in 2013 by one of the authors (Y. Tang) and the other (JPY) is ca 11.2 km southwards in the Valley.
One living individual from the ZJG population and three from the JPY population with intact flowers were collected, each was packaged with soils and EPE pearl cotton in a plastic bottle and transported by air to the Key Laboratory of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Ministry of Natural Resources for
The leaf material of one individual from the JPY population was collected and dried with silica gel for DNA sequencing.
To compare the new taxon with morphologically similar species, one population of
All voucher specimens collected as part of this study were deposited at the
The morphological description of the new taxon was mainly based on living materials. The length and width of leaves and the height of the inflorescence were measured on seven living, flowering plants in the field. The morphology of subterranean parts was described based on the four plants collected (see Material collection). The morphology of a single flower was described mainly based on the 3D mesh model reconstructed by micro-
X-ray Computed Tomography (
The 3D reconstructions were performed in the software VGSTUDIO MAX 3.0 with STL files being exported. For the 3D model of inflorescence, however, only the uppermost two flowers were reconstructed due to the trade-off between resolution and computing time. Acquired 3D mesh models were visualised and processed by the software GOM INSPECT PRO in GOM SUITE 3.1.1109.0.
Based on previous studies (
Genomic DNA extraction, primer synthesis, PCR reactions and Sanger sequencing were completed by Tsingke Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Chengdu, China). Four DNA markers, including one nuclear (nrITS) and three plastid markers (
Phylogenetic reconstruction was carried out using Bayesian inference (
The best-fit models for
Partitioned
The 3D mesh model of the uppermost two flowers on an inflorescence and photos of the corresponding micro-
Trees reconstructed from the nrITS and combined plastid datasets in this study are similar to those of previous studies (e.g.,
Phylogenetic placement of
Phylogenetic placement of
Similar to
Comparisons in morphology between
Species |
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Partly subterranean, with 1 or 2 (or 3) sheaths at the base |
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Sub-basal | |
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Usually green with purple markings, sometimes green with white, reticulate venation or nearly uniformly green | |
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Elliptic, |
Lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, lower ones nearly as long as ovary, gradually smaller upwards to shorter than ovary |
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Oblong, apex rounded, sometimes concave at each side of central vein below middle | Suboblong, apex subacute |
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Pendulous, rhombic | Usually horizontal, auricular or transversely suboblong |
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Usually open and flat, subsquare, 4–5 × 3–4 mm, larger than lateral lobes, apex obtuse-rounded, sometimes slightly emarginate or shortly apiculate |
Terrestrial, erect herbs, 8.5–31 cm tall. Tubers oblong, 2.5 cm long, 0.8 cm in diameter, neck with few roots. Stem subterranean, 2.7–5 cm long, 0.2 cm in diameter, with one sheath at the base. Sheath tubular, membranous, 1–2 cm long, pale yellow. Leaf appressed to the substrate, solitary, cordate, ovate or elliptic, 3–6.5 × 2–5.5 cm, apex acute, slightly fleshy, glabrous, abaxially purple, adaxially green with white lines along 7–9 principal veins, sometimes also with purple spots. Inflorescence terminal, erect, 3–14 cm long, 1–21-flowered, glabrous, dark purple. Flowers not secund, plum or purple plum, fragrant; floral bracts connivent to ovary, elliptic, 5 × 2.6 mm, shorter than ovary, apex acuminate, glabrous, dark purple; ovary curved, cylindrical, 10.5 mm long including pedicel, 1 mm in diameter, glabrous, dark purple. Dorsal sepal erect, oblong, cymbiform, 4.5 × 2.6 mm, apex rounded, sometimes concave at each side of central vein below middle, glabrous; lateral sepals spreading, obliquely ovate, cymbiform, 5.6 × 3.6 mm, apex obtuse, glabrous. Petals erect, connivent with dorsal sepal and forming a hood, apex bending similar to holding a fist in the other hand, obliquely ovate, 4 × 2.8 mm, apex obtuse, glabrous. Labellum spreading, broadly ovate when flattened, 7.1 × 5.4 mm, 3-lobed below middle, spurred, base collar-like raised on each side of spur entrance, glabrous, tinged white at base, disc dotted with purple; lateral lobes pendulous, rhombic, 3.4 × 2.5 mm, apex truncate, margin slightly undulate; mid-lobe horizontal, involute, suboblong in apical view, 2.2 × 1.2 mm, trapeziform when flattened, apex rounded or sometimes apiculate; spur horizontal, straight or curved upwards, cuneate, 9 mm long, ventrally carinate along central axis, entrance 2.5 mm wide, apex swollen, obtuse, 2.7 mm wide; anther reclined, 2.8 mm long, 2-locular, locules parallel and closely spaced, aubergine; pollinia 2, sectile, ovate, 1.2 × 0.7 mm; caudicles cuneate, 1.2 mm long; viscidia 2, closely spaced, oblong, transparent, each enclosed within a separate bursicle; bursicles formed by folding of rostellar arms, oblong, 0.6 × 0.3 mm; rostellum median lobe triangle, 0.7 mm long, lateral lobes grooved; stigma ventral, lobes 2, divergent, lamelliform, 1.2 × 0.5 mm, with hairs at base; auricles 2, each placed laterally at base of anther and behind collar of labellum base, 0.5 mm long.
Peaking in early June.
Latin
雁字舌喙兰 (Chinese Pinyin: yànzì shéhuìlán).
Comparisons between living plants of
Floral morphology of
Specimen of
Leaves of
The new species
Molecular phylogenies did, however, reveal a close relationship between
Amongst the specimens of
According to the spatial delimitation of the arid valley in the upper reaches of Minjiang River (
The morphologically similar species
A few individuals of
Our deepest gratitude goes to Dr Shou-Ming Chen from the Key Laboratory of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Ministry of Natural Resources for his work in completing the micro-
Voucher information and GenBank accession numbers of taxa included in phylogenetic reconstruction. Sequences generated in this study are marked with asterisks (*). Missing data are indicated with “–”.
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Tang, Wang & Zhu 236 | |||||
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