Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis D.Verma, S.Lavania & Sushil K.Singh, 2015

Verma, Durgesh, Lavania, Seshu & Singh, Sushil K., 2015, Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae), a new species from Meghalaya, Northeast India, Phytotaxa 195 (1), pp. 94-97 : 94-96

Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis D.Verma, S.Lavania & Sushil K.Singh , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Type:— INDIA . Meghalaya: West Jaintia Hills District, Chyrmang , 25°25.881’ N & 92°14.573’ E, 1353 m, 8 October 2013, D. Verma 53 (holotype ASSAM!; isotype LWU!) .

The new species differs from B. umbellatum Lindl. (1830: 56) in having larger lip, column, foot and long caudate stelidia.

Epiphytic herbs with a creeping rhizome and fibrous sheath, 3–6 mm thick. Pseudobulbs ridged, ovoid, tapering towards the apex, 2.5–4.3 × 1.4–2.2 cm, covered with a sheath that later becomes fibrous, at intervals of 1.6–3.1 cm along rhizome. Leaves glabrous, elliptic-oblong, erect, 8.0–12.8 × 1.4–3.0 cm, apex retuse, contracted at the base to a thick cylindric channelled petiole, 1.4–2.3 cm long. Inflorescence from base of the pseudobulb, erect, shorter than leaves, umbellate, 2–3 flowered, 6.0– 10.1 cm long. Peduncle erect, glabrous, light green, streaked with purple, sheathed; sheaths 2, distant, tubular 7–9 mm long. Floral bract ovate-lanceolate, creamy-white, acuminate, 6–8 × 3–4 mm. Pedicellate ovary 2.8–3.2 cm long, slightly ridged, pale green with purple spots. Flowers pinkish yellow with fine purple spots, 3.2–4.0 cm long. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate, incurved, concave, 5–6 nerved, 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–0.9 cm, apex shortly apiculate with purple blotch, base creamy yellow, margin finely irregularly papillose, pinkish yellow with fine purple spots. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate-lanceolate, 5 nerved, 2.4–2.8 × 0.8–0.9 cm, upper margin infolded, cohering at the base, apices convergent, apex acute-acuminate, base creamy yellow, similar in colour to the dorsal sepal. Petals ovate-triangular, 5 nerved, 8–9 × 5–6 mm, pinkish yellow with fine purple spots, margin finely irregularly papillose, apex obtuse-rounded to shortly apiculate with large purple blotch, adaxially slightly warty. Lip oblong with broad base, 7.0–8.0 × ca. 5 mm, recurved, pinkish white with median creamy yellow stripe and finely spotted with purple, adaxially with a grooved keel, abaxially shallow grooved from base to near apex; base somewhat protruded & hairy along margins. Column 5–6 mm long, with triangular lateral wings; stelidia 2, caudate, ca. 2.0 mm long; foot upcurved, 8–9 mm long with purple spots in front, truncate at apex. Anther cap ovoid, ca. 1.2 × 1.5 mm, creamy yellow with 2 brown stripes along margins. Pollinia 4, ellipsoid, yellow, attached to a disc, ca. 1.2 × 0.8 mm long. Fruit not seen.

Distribution and habitat:— Currently known only from the type locality. The species was found growing on tree trunks of Acronychia sp. ( Rutaceae ) in subtropical evergreen forest at 1353 m.

of the holotype.

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Chyrmang.

Phenology:— Flowering September through October.

Conservation Status:— Known from a single collection, hence its conservation status remains Data Deficient (DD).

Notes:— Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis is similar to B. umbellatum in having an elliptic-oblong leaf, sheathed pseudobulbs, purple-spotted flowers, finely papillose dorsal sepal and petals, purple spotted lip with minutely hairy base and winged column. However, the latter differs distinctly in having comparatively smaller lip, column, foot and short deltoid stelidia. Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis also shows some superficial similarity with B. guttulatum (Hooker 1890: 776) Balakrishnan (1970: 66) , but the latter can be distinguished by its 8–11 flowered umbellate inflorescence exceeding the leaves, comparatively smaller flowers with a lip that is glabrous and uniformly spotted with purple and smaller column and foot.

Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis and B. umbellatum both have finely papillose dorsal sepal and petals but they are more finely papillose in the latter. Similarly the lip of both species is grooved on upper surface, but it is deeply grooved throughout in case of B. umbellatum whereas in new species it is shallowly grooved from base to near the apex. The upper surface of lip is minutely hairy near the base in both the species but these are more prominent in the new species ( Fig. 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis. A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Enlarged view of Inflorescence. D. Peduncle bract (cut opened). E. Floral bract. F. Front view of flower, I. G. Front view of flower, II. H. Dorsal sepal. I. Dorsal sepal showing papillose margin. J. Lateral sepals. K. Petals. L. Petals showing papillose margin. M. Lip, column, pedicel and ovary. N. Lip, lateral view. O. Lip, dorsal view. P. Lip, ventral view. Q. Floral analysis. R.Anther cap, ventral view. S. Anther cap, dorsal view. T. Pollinia. Photographic illustration by D. Verma

FIGURE 2. Comparative analysis of lip, column, foot and stelidia of B. chyrmangensis and B. umbellatum. A. Lip, column, pedicel and ovary of BC. B. Lip, column, pedicel and ovary of BU. C. Lip, dorsal view of BC. D. Lip, dorsal view of BU. E. Lip, ventral view of BC. F. Lip, ventral view of BU. G. Lip, lateral view of BC. H. Lip, lateral view of BU. I. Lip, dorsal view of BU enlarged. J. Enlarged view of column, foot and stelidia BC. K. Enlarged view of column, foot & stelidia BU. (BC = Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis and BU = Bulbophyllum umbellatum) Photographic illustration by D. Verma.