New species of orchids discovered in Sichuan, China

During an investigation of wild orchid resources in Sichuan Province (the second National Key Protected Wild Plant Resources Survey), researchers from the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with staffs of Wolong National Nature Reserve, jointly discovered and named a new orchid species.

This new speices, Ponerorchis wolongensis G.W. Hu, Yue H. Cheng & Q. F. Wang, discovered in Wolong, Sichuan province, is the second new orchid species that has been named and published by the research group in Sichuan. Results were published in the Nordic Journal of Botany.

Ponerorchis wolongensis is a weak herb with a height of 4.5–10.5 cm. It has three to five leaves, cauline, long lanceolate to linear. Its inflorescence shows a terminal raceme with purplish red peduncle, 3–6-flowered. Its flowers are white, dorsal sepal free, ovate, lateral sepals spreading to reflexed, ovate-elliptic and slightly oblique. Its petals are small, erect, forming a hood, obliquely triangular-ovate, labellum broad-obovate, white, greenish yellow at base, concave at base.

In addition, its column is short and inconspicuous. And it flowers from August to September, and fruits from September to early October.

The specific epithet 'wolongensis' refers to the locality of the type specimen, Wolong National Nature Reserve. It grows on mossy stones, under mixed coniferous broad-leaved forest, at an elevation of ca. 2680 m.

Morphologically, Ponerorchis wolongensis is similar to P. capitata in having a terminal raceme, short rachis, white flowers, and also in shape of sepals and petals. However, the new species can be easily distinguished from the latter by its long lanceolate to linear, 3–5-leaved blade; 3–6-flowered inflorescence, triangular-obovate or broad-obovate labellum; and elliptic to short ligulate, mid-lobe and apex various.