Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2020 | 12(10): 16396–16398

 

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5887.12.10.16396-16398

#5887 | Received 23 March 2020 | Final received 13 June 2020 | Finally accepted 20 June 2020

 

 

Herminium longilobatum (Orchidaceae), a new record for Bhutan

 

Ugyen Dechen 1 , Tandin Wangchuk 2  & Lam Norbu 3

 

1,2,3 Tashigang Territorial Forest Division, Department of Forest and Park Services of Bhutan, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan.

1 udechen@moaf.gov.bt, 2 twangchoks@gmail.com, 3 lamnorbu0@gmail.com (corresponding author)

 

 

Editor: Pankaj Kumar, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) Corporation, Tai Po, Hong Kong S.A.R., P.R.China.           Date of publication: 26 July 2020 (online & print)

 

Citation: Dechen, U., T. Wangchuk & L. Norbu (2020). Herminium longilobatum (Orchidaceae), a new record for Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(10): 16396–16398. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5887.12.10.16396-16398

 

Copyright: © Dechen et al. 2020. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Mr. Stig Dalström, Associate at the Lankester Botanical Garden, University of Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica and Mr. Dhan Bahadur Gurung (PhD), Professor of College of Natural Resources (CNR), Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Bhutan for species identification and asserting as the new records for Bhutan. We are highly indebted to Mr. Phuntsho Thinley (PhD), Principal Forestry Officer, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER), Bumthang for making us part of his wildlife water relationship study team and field survey in the Serkangchu catchment, Yangtse.  We are also indebted to Mr. Karma Leki, Chief Forestry Officer, Trashigang Forest Division, Eastern Bhutan for his continuous encouragement and support in studying flora and fauna.

 

 

Herminium L. is a genus of terrestrial or rarely epiphytic orchids belonging to the family Orchidaceae (subfamily Orchidoideae, tribe Orchideae and sub-tribe Orchidinae) (Chase et al. 2015).  It is represented by 49 species in the world, distributed in the northern hemisphere with a clear center of diversity in the Himalaya (Pearce & Cribb 2002; Raskoti et al. 2017).  Species are characterized by small greenish, whitish or yellowish flowers on the raceme, a (sub) globose tuber, a lip with a concave or spurred base, and column with the stigma-lobes not adnate to the base of the lip (Raskoti et al. 2017).

Bhutan harbors 19 species of Herminium (Pearce & Cribb 2002; Gurung 2006; Dalstrom 2017; National Biodiversity Centre 2017; Raskoti et al. 2017) namely, H. albomarginatum (King) X.H. Jin, H. albosanguineum Renz, H. albovirens (Renz) X.H. Jin, H. clavigerum Lindl, H. elisabethae Duthie, H. fallax (Lindl.) Hook.f, H. gracile King & Pantl., H. handelii X.H. Jin, H. himalayanum (Renz) X.H. Jin, H. josephi Rchb.f., H. lanceum (Thunb. ex Sw.) Vuijk., H. latilabre Lindl, H. macrophyllum (D.Don) Dandy, H. monophyllum (D.Don) P.F. Hunt & Summerh., H. monorchis (L.) R.Br., H. orbiculare Hook.f., H. pugioniforme Lindl. ex Hook.f., H. pygmaeum Renz, and H. quinquelobum King & Pantl.

During a recent field exploration, we found an interesting epiphytic orchid growing on the dead trunk of an oak tree Quercus oxyodon embedded with thick mosses and epiphytic fern at an elevation of 2,746m (27.6180N & 91.5310E) inside the cool broad-leaved forest on 24 September 2018, in the Serkhang-chuu catchment area of Trashi Yangtse District.  Ferns, shrubs, Symplocus species, bamboos, and Quercus semicarpifolia were other associated vegetation in the area.  Photographs of the orchid were sent to the orchid expert, Dr. Dhan Bahadur Gurung, for identification and subsequently it was confirmed as Herminium longilobatum S.N. Hedge & A.N. Rao.  The specimen was collected on 17 October 2019, and preserved at the Forest Range Office, Doksum under the Trashigang Forest Division. This constitutes the 20th representative of the genus from Bhutan.  The same is being presented here with a short description, phenology, ecology and color plates.

 

Herminium longilobatum S.N. Hegde & A.N. Rao Himalayan Pl. J. 1(2): 47 (1982).

Type: Yarlung Zangbo–Brahmaputra Region, Towang, 2,800 m, Hegde 3208-A (TIPI).

Plant epiphytic herbs, up to 30–50 cm tall, including inflorescence.  Tubers 1 or 2, ovoid, globose to oblong. Pseudostem up to 8–10 cm, long, slender, covered with two tubular sheaths of which the basal is much shorter and few well-spaced leaves near the middle.  Leaves linear to oblong-lanceolate, 8–20 × 0.5–1.5 cm, acuminate, narrow at base into a long tubular sheath clasping the pseudo stem.  Scape with inflorescence 12–20 cm tall; inflorescence terminal raceme, peduncle terete, with peduncle-scales 0.5–2.4 cm; rachis 5–18 cm, many flowered, flowers laxly arranged.  Floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–5.0 mm, slightly shorter than the ovary and apex acuminate.  Flowers about 5x5 mm,  opening widely, greenish-white.  Sepals subequal, ovate, 2.0 × 1.5 mm, subacute, concave.  Petals lanceolate, 2.0 × 1.5 mm, apex subacute.  Lip much longer than the other perianth lobes, oblong, 3-lobed, widened at base, with a callus at base of attachment to the column, midlobe short, lanceolate, obtuse;  lateral lobes 10mm long, more than 10 times longer than the midlobe, filiform, uncoiled.  Column 1mm, short; anther cells 2, parallel; staminodes 2, lateral; rostellum two-lobed; stigmas 2, transversely oblong, divergent.  The fruit oblong, 7mm long.  Ovary sessile, resupinate, beaked.

Flowering and Fruiting: August–September

Habitat and Ecology: Orchids were found growing on the dead trunk of Oak species Quercus oxyodon (five clumps) covered with mosses at an elevation of 2,746m inside the cool broad-leaved forest.

Distribution: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal.

Specimens examined: Bhutan: Trashi Yangtse District, Serkangchu catchment, 2,746m, 24.ix.2018., Tandin W., Ugyen D., and Lam N., (Haplotype: Doksum Forest Range). Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra Region: Kameng District, Towang Hegde, 3208 A-C (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi); Phudong-Dirang, Hajra 54808 (Assam). Nepal: Sagarmatha, Solukhumbu District, below Sete, 2,500m, Raskoti B.B., 01299 (KATH).

 

 

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References

 

Chase, M.W., K.M. Cameron, J.V. Freudenstein, A.M. Pridgeon, G. Salazar, C.V.D. Berg & A. Schuiteman (2015). An updated classification of Orchidaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 77: 151–174. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.1223

Dalstrom, S. (2017). Orchid Checklist of Bhutan. National Herbarium, National Biodiversity Centre, MoAF, Serbithang, Thimphu, Bhutan. http://www.bhutanbiodiversity.net/, Accessed on 20 March 2020).

Gurung, D.B. (2006). An illustrated Guide to the Orchid of Bhutan. Thimphu: Royal University of Bhutan. DSB Publication.

National Biodiversity Centre (2017). A Century of New Orchid Records in Bhutan. Edt. Thimphu, Bhutan. Kuensel Cooperation Ltd.

Pearce, N.R. & P.J. Cribb (2002). Flora of Bhutan Volume 3, Part 3: The Orchid of Bhutan. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh & Royal Government of Bhutan. Thimphu, Bhutan.

Raskoti, B.B., A. Schuiteman, W. Jin & X. Jin (2017).  A Taxonomic revision of Herminium L. (Orchidoideae, Orchidaceae). PhytoKeys (79): 1–74. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.79.11215