Trichoglottis longifolia Atthan., C. Bandara, N.L. Bandara & Kumar, 2022
|
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.567.1.6 |
|
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7143376 |
|
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EF87E2-846A-4016-E180-E2FFBD8FFEED |
|
treatment provided by |
Plazi |
|
scientific name |
Trichoglottis longifolia Atthan., C. Bandara, N.L. Bandara & Kumar |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Trichoglottis longifolia Atthan., C. Bandara, N.L. Bandara & Kumar sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 A–C View FIGURE 1 , 2 View FIGURE 2 & 3 View FIGURE 3 )
TYPE: SRI LANKA. Sabaragamuwa Province, Kegalle District, Aranayaka, Maligakande , 1000 m, 29 April 2022, AKAG 29.2022 (holotype PDA!; isotype PDA!-spirit) .
Diagnosis: Trichoglottis longifolia is similar to T. tenera , but it can be easily distinguished from the latter in having longer leaves, 7‒8 cm (vs. shorter leaves, 2.5‒4.5 cm); yellowish-green flowers (vs. brownish-green); longer floral bract, 2.5‒3 mm long (vs. shorter floral bract, 2 mm long); narrow sepal, 3 mm wide and petals, 2 mm wide (vs. broad dorsal sepal 4 mm wide and petals 3.5 mm wide) and longer spur length, 5 mm (vs. shorter spur length, 3 mm).
Epiphytic herb. Roots numerous, 1.5‒2 mm thick, flexuose, greyish, glabrous, usually arising opposite to the leaf base. Stem elongated, 10‒90 cm long, 2‒3 mm thick, greenish, pendulous, sparsely branching; internodes 1.6‒3 cm. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 6.5‒8 cm × 1.2‒1.6 cm, distichous, apex obliquely bi-lobed, longer lobule 1 mm In length, shorter lobule 0.5 mm length, both with a mucro; midrib extended to a pointed setae in between lobules, 0.2‒0.3 mm long. Inflorescence arising from stem through the leaf sheaths of internodes, 2 (rarely 3‒4) flowered racemes. Peduncle stout, terete, 1‒2 cm long. Pedicel and ovary ca. 1 cm long, curved, twisted longitudinally, glabrous. Flowers widely opened, 1.8 cm across, yellowish-green; occasionally, base of the dorsal sepal and petals sparsely dotted with brown spots. Floral bracts ovate, 2.5 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, acute, concave. Dorsal sepal lanceolate, 11 × 3 mm, narrowly obtuse, 3-veined, broadest between centre and apex. Petals linear-elliptic to linear-oblanceolate, 9 × 2 mm, obtuse, 3-veined. Lateral sepals oblique-falcate, 8 × 3 mm, apex rounded, 3-veined. Labellum 7 × 5 mm (length from the base of column to the apex of median lobe), firmly attached to the column, spurred, 3-lobed with indistinct elongate fleshy lateral lobes and large median lobe; lateral lobes erect, quadrangular, 3 × 2 mm, crenulate to retuse, white with thick red veins; median lobe faintly 3-lobulate, glabrous, fleshy, white with red spots towards the margin; side lobule almost rhomboid in outline, 3-lobules rounded. Spur 5 × 1.5 mm, apex rounded, hairy on the inner margin with a bifid callus arising from the back wall of spur and ending at the throat, ca. 1.5 mm. Column 3 × 2.5 mm, stout, erect, broadly cylindric, extended into a short, inconspicuous foot. Rostellum small, bifid, ca. 1 × 0.5 mm. Operculum hemispherical, 1–1.2 mm wide, 0.1–0.2 mm long, with a small beak. Anther terminal, 2 loculed, 1.8 × 2 mm. Pollina 2, 0.5 × 0.4 mm each, completely divided into densely appressed subequal hemispheric pollinia; stipe 0.7–0.8 mm long; viscidium ovate, about 0.2 mm long. Ovary and pedicel clavate, 7 mm long. Capsule fusiform or narrowly ellipsoid to cylindric in shape, dull greenish, strongly ribbed, 2.4‒3 × 0.8‒1 cm.
Phenology: Trichoglottis longifolia flowering from April to July and fruiting from May to August.
Distribution: Trichoglottis longifolia is known from Aranayaka, (Kegalle District) and Bambarabotuwa, Kuruwita, Palabaddala and Samanala Nature Reserve (Ratnapura District) in Sabaragamuwa Province.
Etymology: Referring to the long leaf of the species in comparison to its allied species in Sri Lanka.
Habitat and ecology: Trichoglottis longifolia is an epiphytic orchid which grows on the tropical sub-montane forests between 910‒1200 m elevation. The host plants are Litsea longifolia (Nees) Trimen , Syzygium sp. and bamboo species; growing 1‒3.5 m above from the ground in shady habitats and associated with Adrorhizon purpurascens (Thwaites) Hooker , Dendrobium panduratum Lindley , Diploprora championii (Lindley) Hooker , Oberonia scyllae Lindley , Phreatia jayaweerae Ormerod and Polystachya concreta (Jacquin) Garay & H.R. Sweet.
Conservation status: In Kegalle, there are few subpopulations consisting of approximately 150 mature individuals and in Rathnapura subpopulation consists of <50 mature individuals. However, only <10 individuals in the Bambarabotuwa subpopulation. Based on current knowledge, the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) estimated using GeoCAT ( Moat 2007) as ~ 390 km 2 and 20 km 2 respectively. No threat is known for this species, except for some minor habitat disturbance due to landuse changes. With 5 subpopulations, comprising less than 250 mature individuals, Trichoglottis longifolia can be solely assessed based on its small population size, as Endangered (EN: D) following IUCN guidelines ( IUCN 2019).
Additional specimens examined: Trichoglottis tenera : — SRI LANKA. NUWARA ELIYA DISTRICT : Nuwara Eliya, Aug. 1962, Jayaweera 2192 ( PDA!); Hakgala , Mar. 1889, W. Nock s.n. ( PDA!); Punduluoya , Feb. 1973, Cramer 4067 ( US!-00506216); along road Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, May 1978, D.D. Soejarto 4876 ( US!- 00506217, L!- L.1529312, P!- P00361712 ); BADULLA DISTRICT: Namunukula, Mar. 1907, J. M. Silva s.n. ( PDA!); LOCALITY UNKNOWN: 1829, Macrae 66 ( K!- K000895724 , holotype); Macrae s.n. ( K!- K000974382 ); Macrae s.n. ( K!- K000974383 ); Thwaites C. P. 2983 ( PDA!); Walker 118 ( PDA!); 1869, Thwaites C. P. 2983 ( P!- P00361710 ) ; 1854, Thwaites C. P. 2983 ( P!- P00361711 ). INDIA. Grands bois à Neddoubitta, Jan. 1841, L. Claude s.n. ( P!- P00361713 ). Trichoglottis longifolia : — SRI LANKA. RATNAPURA DISTRICT : Seethagangula , Kuruwita-Eratne trail, Samanala Nature Reserve, May 2022, AKAG 30.2022 ( PDA!) .
Taxonomic Notes: Trichoglottis longifolia is morphologically similar to T. tenera , but it can be easily distinguished from the latter by having 7‒8 cm long leaves, yellowish-green flowers, lanceolate dorsal sepal and petals and 5 mm long spur. Both species are uniquely distributed in separate forest regions. T. tenera is confined to the tropical montane and sub-montane forests above 1200 m elev. while, T. longifolia in tropical sub-montane forests between 910‒1200 m elevation.
| PDA |
Royal Botanic Gardens |
| W |
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien |
| US |
University of Stellenbosch |
| L |
Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Leiden University branch |
| P |
Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN) - Vascular Plants |
| J |
University of the Witwatersrand |
| M |
Botanische Staatssammlung München |
| K |
Royal Botanic Gardens |
| C |
University of Copenhagen |
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.