Thismia nigricoronata is described as a new species in family Burmanniaceae. Both morphological a... more Thismia nigricoronata is described as a new species in family Burmanniaceae. Both morphological and phylogenetic analyses indicate that this new Lao endemic is allied to T. taiwanensis in section Glaziocharis, and it can be differentiated on the basis of its longer vestigial stem leaves, reflexed free outer perianth lobes and ornamented, vibrantly coloured outer surface of the perianth tube. The infrageneric taxonomy of Thismia is reviewed, the genera Geomitra and Scaphiophora are officially reduced to sectional status in Thismia, and all species are enumerated in systematic order. A key to all currently accepted subgenera, sections and subsections is presented to facilitate further examination of their phylogenetic integrity in light of apparent conflict between the traditional morphology-based system and the emerging DNA-based classification.
Little published information exists about Eulophia obtusa, a showy and distinctive species previo... more Little published information exists about Eulophia obtusa, a showy and distinctive species previously recorded from North India and Nepal. It is here reported from Bangladesh for the first time. The population occurring in Bangladesh may represent a distinct colour form, with pure white instead of bright yellow sepals and petals as in previous records. A species growing in seasonally waterlogged grassland, its only known site in Bangl-adesh has already been destroyed for agricultural development. No reliable data on its present day occurrence in India and Nepal could be obtained. However, the most recent of only three collections in the Kew Herbarium dates from 1902, which suggests that it is quite a rare species. It must be assessed as critically endangered (CR) in Bangladesh, according to the IUCN Red Listing criteria.
Vegetative propagation (clonal growth) conveys several evolutionary advantages that positively af... more Vegetative propagation (clonal growth) conveys several evolutionary advantages that positively affect life history fitness and is a widespread phenomenon among angiosperms that also reproduce sexually. However, a bias towards clonality can interfere with sexual reproduction and lead to sexual extinction, although a dearth of effective genetic tools and mathematical models for clonal plants has hampered assessment of these impacts. Using the endangered tropical epiphytic or lithophytic orchid Bulbophyllum bicolor as a model, we integrated an examination of breeding system with 12 microsatellite loci and models valid for clonal species to test for the " loss of sex " and infer likely consequences for long-term reproductive dynamics. Bagging experiments and field observations revealed B. bicolor to be self-incompatible and pollinator-dependent, with an absence of fruit-set over 4 years. Challenging the assumptions that clonal populations can be as genotypically diverse as sexually reproducing ones and that clonality does not greatly influence genetic structure, just 22 multilocus genotypes were confirmed among all 15 extant natural populations, 12 of the populations were found to be monoclonal, and all three mul-ticlonal ones exhibited a distinct phalanx clonal architecture. Our results suggest that all B. bicolor populations depend overwhelmingly on clonal growth for persistence , with a concomitant loss of sex due to an absence of pollinators and a lack of mating opportunities at virtually all sites, both of which are further entrenched by habitat fragmentation. Such cryptic life history impacts, potentially contributing to extinction debt, could be widespread among similarly fragmented, outcrossing tropical epiphytes, demanding urgent conservation attention.
Oberonia meegaskumburae is described and illustrated from Adam's Peak (Samanala) Nature Reserve, ... more Oberonia meegaskumburae is described and illustrated from Adam's Peak (Samanala) Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka and differentiated from its close ally, O. weragamaensis on the basis of larger flowers (3 mm long) in former against smaller (2 mm) in latter; longer floral bracts (1.9 mm) in former against shorter (1 mm) in latter; equal size (> 0.2 mm) of lobules of mid-lobe in former against shorter mid-lobule (< 0.1 mm) in latter; slender, terete and club-shaped tip of lateral lobe curved to face each other in former against sub-triangular, parallel and inflated in latter. Key to all species of genus Oberonia found in Sri Lanka is provided.
Pleione arunachalensis, a new species is described from Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal... more Pleione arunachalensis, a new species is described from Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, NorthEast India. Detailed descriptions, distribution, ecology, colour photographs and key to identification for Indian Pleione is provided .
A project to study the phytodiversity of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (IBBH) was initiated... more A project to study the phytodiversity of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (IBBH) was initiated by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong, in 2011, with the aim of surveying primary forest fragments and identifying conservation priorities within this expansive but highly threatened ecoregion. Vang Vieng District of Vientiane Province, northern Laos, was chosen as a focus for a pilot expedition, since it features an extensive karst landscape that has barely been explored. Together with officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Lao PDR, surveys of three sites were conducted in April 2012, at the end of the dry northeast monsoon season. Emphasis was placed on Orchidaceae because it is among the most species-rich and commercially exploited flowering plant families in the region. A total of 179 specimens were collected, of which approximately 135 were unique taxa accounting for 29.6% of the orchids found in Laos and 5.8% of those found in IBBH as a whole, and equivalent to 0.27 species/hectare within the area surveyed, substantially higher than published figures for other limestone areas in the region, such as Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam (0.0055 species/hectare) and Perlis State in Peninsular Malaysia (0.0036 species/hectare). At least one is a species new to science, nine represent new distributional records for Laos and a further nine are new records for Vientiane Province. A list of the species encountered during the study is presented and the significance of the findings is discussed. Major threats to the natural environment in northern Laos are highlighted.
Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported h... more Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported here for the first time from India. Detailed description, notes on distribution and photographs are provided for accurate identification.
Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported h... more Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported here for the first time from India. Detailed description, notes on distribution and photographs are provided for accurate identification.
A new species, Podochilus warnagalensis is described from Adam's Peak Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka. ... more A new species, Podochilus warnagalensis is described from Adam's Peak Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka. A key to all species of the genus Podochilus found in Sri Lanka is provided.
Thismia nigricoronata is described as a new species in family Burmanniaceae. Both morphological a... more Thismia nigricoronata is described as a new species in family Burmanniaceae. Both morphological and phylogenetic analyses indicate that this new Lao endemic is allied to T. taiwanensis in section Glaziocharis, and it can be differentiated on the basis of its longer vestigial stem leaves, reflexed free outer perianth lobes and ornamented, vibrantly coloured outer surface of the perianth tube. The infrageneric taxonomy of Thismia is reviewed, the genera Geomitra and Scaphiophora are officially reduced to sectional status in Thismia, and all species are enumerated in systematic order. A key to all currently accepted subgenera, sections and subsections is presented to facilitate further examination of their phylogenetic integrity in light of apparent conflict between the traditional morphology-based system and the emerging DNA-based classification.
Little published information exists about Eulophia obtusa, a showy and distinctive species previo... more Little published information exists about Eulophia obtusa, a showy and distinctive species previously recorded from North India and Nepal. It is here reported from Bangladesh for the first time. The population occurring in Bangladesh may represent a distinct colour form, with pure white instead of bright yellow sepals and petals as in previous records. A species growing in seasonally waterlogged grassland, its only known site in Bangl-adesh has already been destroyed for agricultural development. No reliable data on its present day occurrence in India and Nepal could be obtained. However, the most recent of only three collections in the Kew Herbarium dates from 1902, which suggests that it is quite a rare species. It must be assessed as critically endangered (CR) in Bangladesh, according to the IUCN Red Listing criteria.
Vegetative propagation (clonal growth) conveys several evolutionary advantages that positively af... more Vegetative propagation (clonal growth) conveys several evolutionary advantages that positively affect life history fitness and is a widespread phenomenon among angiosperms that also reproduce sexually. However, a bias towards clonality can interfere with sexual reproduction and lead to sexual extinction, although a dearth of effective genetic tools and mathematical models for clonal plants has hampered assessment of these impacts. Using the endangered tropical epiphytic or lithophytic orchid Bulbophyllum bicolor as a model, we integrated an examination of breeding system with 12 microsatellite loci and models valid for clonal species to test for the " loss of sex " and infer likely consequences for long-term reproductive dynamics. Bagging experiments and field observations revealed B. bicolor to be self-incompatible and pollinator-dependent, with an absence of fruit-set over 4 years. Challenging the assumptions that clonal populations can be as genotypically diverse as sexually reproducing ones and that clonality does not greatly influence genetic structure, just 22 multilocus genotypes were confirmed among all 15 extant natural populations, 12 of the populations were found to be monoclonal, and all three mul-ticlonal ones exhibited a distinct phalanx clonal architecture. Our results suggest that all B. bicolor populations depend overwhelmingly on clonal growth for persistence , with a concomitant loss of sex due to an absence of pollinators and a lack of mating opportunities at virtually all sites, both of which are further entrenched by habitat fragmentation. Such cryptic life history impacts, potentially contributing to extinction debt, could be widespread among similarly fragmented, outcrossing tropical epiphytes, demanding urgent conservation attention.
Oberonia meegaskumburae is described and illustrated from Adam's Peak (Samanala) Nature Reserve, ... more Oberonia meegaskumburae is described and illustrated from Adam's Peak (Samanala) Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka and differentiated from its close ally, O. weragamaensis on the basis of larger flowers (3 mm long) in former against smaller (2 mm) in latter; longer floral bracts (1.9 mm) in former against shorter (1 mm) in latter; equal size (> 0.2 mm) of lobules of mid-lobe in former against shorter mid-lobule (< 0.1 mm) in latter; slender, terete and club-shaped tip of lateral lobe curved to face each other in former against sub-triangular, parallel and inflated in latter. Key to all species of genus Oberonia found in Sri Lanka is provided.
Pleione arunachalensis, a new species is described from Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal... more Pleione arunachalensis, a new species is described from Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, NorthEast India. Detailed descriptions, distribution, ecology, colour photographs and key to identification for Indian Pleione is provided .
A project to study the phytodiversity of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (IBBH) was initiated... more A project to study the phytodiversity of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (IBBH) was initiated by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong, in 2011, with the aim of surveying primary forest fragments and identifying conservation priorities within this expansive but highly threatened ecoregion. Vang Vieng District of Vientiane Province, northern Laos, was chosen as a focus for a pilot expedition, since it features an extensive karst landscape that has barely been explored. Together with officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Lao PDR, surveys of three sites were conducted in April 2012, at the end of the dry northeast monsoon season. Emphasis was placed on Orchidaceae because it is among the most species-rich and commercially exploited flowering plant families in the region. A total of 179 specimens were collected, of which approximately 135 were unique taxa accounting for 29.6% of the orchids found in Laos and 5.8% of those found in IBBH as a whole, and equivalent to 0.27 species/hectare within the area surveyed, substantially higher than published figures for other limestone areas in the region, such as Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam (0.0055 species/hectare) and Perlis State in Peninsular Malaysia (0.0036 species/hectare). At least one is a species new to science, nine represent new distributional records for Laos and a further nine are new records for Vientiane Province. A list of the species encountered during the study is presented and the significance of the findings is discussed. Major threats to the natural environment in northern Laos are highlighted.
Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported h... more Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported here for the first time from India. Detailed description, notes on distribution and photographs are provided for accurate identification.
Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported h... more Peristylus tentaculatus (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. (Orchidaceae), an orchid native to China, is reported here for the first time from India. Detailed description, notes on distribution and photographs are provided for accurate identification.
A new species, Podochilus warnagalensis is described from Adam's Peak Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka. ... more A new species, Podochilus warnagalensis is described from Adam's Peak Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka. A key to all species of the genus Podochilus found in Sri Lanka is provided.
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Garden, Hong Kong, in 2011, with the aim of surveying primary forest fragments and identifying conservation priorities within this expansive
but highly threatened ecoregion. Vang Vieng District of Vientiane Province, northern Laos, was chosen as a focus for a pilot expedition,
since it features an extensive karst landscape that has barely been explored. Together with officials from the Ministry of Science and
Technology, Government of Lao PDR, surveys of three sites were conducted in April 2012, at the end of the dry northeast monsoon season. Emphasis was placed on Orchidaceae because it is among the most species-rich and commercially exploited flowering plant families in the
region. A total of 179 specimens were collected, of which approximately 135 were unique taxa accounting for 29.6% of the orchids found in
Laos and 5.8% of those found in IBBH as a whole, and equivalent to 0.27 species/hectare within the area surveyed, substantially higher than
published figures for other limestone areas in the region, such as Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam (0.0055 species/hectare) and Perlis
State in Peninsular Malaysia (0.0036 species/hectare). At least one is a species new to science, nine represent new distributional records
for Laos and a further nine are new records for Vientiane Province. A list of the species encountered during the study is presented and the
significance of the findings is discussed. Major threats to the natural environment in northern Laos are highlighted.
Garden, Hong Kong, in 2011, with the aim of surveying primary forest fragments and identifying conservation priorities within this expansive
but highly threatened ecoregion. Vang Vieng District of Vientiane Province, northern Laos, was chosen as a focus for a pilot expedition,
since it features an extensive karst landscape that has barely been explored. Together with officials from the Ministry of Science and
Technology, Government of Lao PDR, surveys of three sites were conducted in April 2012, at the end of the dry northeast monsoon season. Emphasis was placed on Orchidaceae because it is among the most species-rich and commercially exploited flowering plant families in the
region. A total of 179 specimens were collected, of which approximately 135 were unique taxa accounting for 29.6% of the orchids found in
Laos and 5.8% of those found in IBBH as a whole, and equivalent to 0.27 species/hectare within the area surveyed, substantially higher than
published figures for other limestone areas in the region, such as Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam (0.0055 species/hectare) and Perlis
State in Peninsular Malaysia (0.0036 species/hectare). At least one is a species new to science, nine represent new distributional records
for Laos and a further nine are new records for Vientiane Province. A list of the species encountered during the study is presented and the
significance of the findings is discussed. Major threats to the natural environment in northern Laos are highlighted.