Phytotaxa 305 (1): 057060 ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition)

http://www.mapress.com/j/pt/
Correspondence PHYTOTAXA
Copyright 2017 Magnolia Press ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition)

https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.305.1.9

Bulbophyllum putaoensis (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae; Malaxideae), a new

species from Kachin State, Myanmar
QIANG LIU1, 2, SHI-SHUN ZHOU1, REN LI1, MING-XIA ZHANG1, MYINT ZYAW3, SHWE LONE4 & RUI-CHANG
QUAN1
1
Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chi-
nese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
2
University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
3
Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary Offices, Putao, Myanmar
4
Forest Research Institute, Forest Department Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

The orchid flora of Myanmar is highly diverse but as yet poorly known in the continental Asia, which is largely a result
of periods of past instability and political isolation of the country. Also the remoteness of many orchid-rich areas and
the difficulties of investigation in rugged terrain have also played a role (Ormerod & Kumar, 2003; Kurzweil & Lwin,
2014). According to recent estimates about 800 orchid species are distributed in Myanmar (Kurzweil & Lwin, 2014), which
were probably underestimated. Many new distribution records and new species have been published in the last few years
(Ormerod, 2002, 2006, 2012; Ormerod & Kumar, 2003, 2008; Ormerod & Wood, 2010; Nyunt, 2006; Kurzweil et al., 2010;
Kurzweil & Lwin, 2012a,b; Tanaka et al. 2011).
The genus Bulbophyllum Thouars (1822: 3) is among the largest genus of Orchidaceae, including more than 2200
species and widely distributed from tropical America, Africa, Madagascar, and mainland Asia to Australasia (Pridgeon et
al. 2014). There are several centers of species diversity, including Madagascar (200 species), New Guinea (600 species),
and continental Asia (400 species). Myanmar is also one of the diversity centers, contains about 109 species of this genus
(Govaerts et al., 2016). During our field expeditions in the Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary, Northern Myanmar, carried
out by the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS in cooperation with the Forest Department, Union of Myanmar
Ministry of Forestry, one unusual species of Bulbophyllum had been discovered. After undertaking a comprehensive
literatures and herbarium specimen review, it was identified as a new species and described blow.

Taxonomy

Bulbophyllum putaoensis Q. Liu, sp. nov. (Fig. 1, 2)

Type: Myanmar. Kachin State. Putao County: Wasadam village, Epiphytic on the trunk of mountain rain forest, 830 m, 3 May, 2016, Q.
Liu 330 (holotype, HITBC!).
Diagnosis: Bulbophyllum putaoensis is similar to B. umbellatum Lindley and B. chyrmangensis, but can be distinguished from them by
having obliquely triangular column stelids; oblong anther cap and significant viscidium of pollinarium.

Epiphytic herbs with a creeping rhizome enclosed by fibrous sheaths, 24 mm in diam. Pseudobulbs ridged, narrowly ovoid,
3.24.5 1.82.2 cm with sheaths that later becomes fibrous, with a terminal leaf. Leaf narrowly oblong, erect, 14.216.5
2.64.1 cm, apex obtuse, base narrowing into a petiole; petiole 2.44.5 cm. Scape arising from the base of the pseudobulb,
12.214.5 cm long, shorter than leaf; umbellate, often 45 -flowered. Peduncle glabrous, light green with densely purple
spots, 2-sheathed, distant, tubular ca. 1.5 cm long. Floral bract ovate-lanceolate, creamy-white with purple spots, acuminate,
7.48.5 2.23.5 mm. Pedicle and ovary slightly ridged, pale green with purple spots, 18.420 mm long. Flowers pale
greenish yellow, with purple spots. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate, concave, apex acuminate, 5- veined, ca.12.814.9 6.0
6.7 mm; lateral sepals falcate-lanceolate, ca. 17.718.8 6.47.6 mm, 5- veined, upper margin un-twisted, base attached
to column foot, apices convergent, apex acuminate; petals ovate, 3-veined, ca. 7.68.2 3.94.0 mm, apex obtuse. Lip
deflexed, lingulate, ca. 6.27.3 3.63.8 mm, adaxially with a grooved keel from base to near apex; base subcordate with
hair along margins, apex obtuse and glossy. Column ca. 4.2 mm, stout with purple spots; stelidia deltoid, ca. 1.7 mm long;

Accepted by Zhong-Jian Liu: 5 Mar. 2017; published: 21 Apr. 2017 57

column wings broadly triangular; column foot ca. 4.5 mm long with purple spots. Anther cap oblong, yellow with 2 brown
broad band along the margins. Pollinia 4, ellipsoid with the significant viscidium.
Distribution and Habitat: This new species was only found in the Kachin State, Myanmar. Epiphytic on the tree
in tropical mountain rain forest, which associates tree species including Altingia excels (Altingiaceae), Knema linifolia
(Myristicaceae), Elaeocarpus varunua (Elaeocarpaceae), Goniothalamus sp (Annonaceae), Beilschmiedia sp (Lauraceae).
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Putao.
Phenology: Flowering from May to June.
Additional specimens examined: Myanmar. Kachin State. Putao County: Wasadam village, Epiphytic on tree in the
tropical mountain rain forest, alt. 830 m, 10 May, 2016. Q. Liu 331 (isotype, HITBC!).
Taxonomic note: Morphologically, Bulbophyllum putaoensis is similar to B. umbellatum Lindley (1830: 56) and share
the umbellate inflorescence, twist lateral sepals and column with triangular wings, but differs from it by having lanceolate
petals (petals widely ovate in B. umbellatum), oblong anther cap (anther cap subglobose in B. umbellatum )and significant
viscidium of pollinarium (pollinarium without viscidium in B. umbellatum). Bulbophyllum putaoensis is also similar to B.
chyrmangensis D. Verma, S. Lavania & Sushil K. Singh (2015: 95) and B. salweenensis X.H. Jin (2015: 96) in having an
elliptic-oblong leaves, sheathed pseudobulbs, purple-spotted flowers and winged column. However, the pinkish yellow
flower, petals with widely ovate with papillose margin and ovoid anther cap in B. chyrmangensis differ from B. putaoensis
(pale greenish yellow flower, lanceolate petals without papillose margin and oblong anther cap); B. salweenensis has the
lanceolate and denticulate petals, lip with a longitudinal pink ridge and pollinarium without viscidium significantly distinguish
with the B. putaoensis (lanceolate petals without denticulate, lip without a longitudinal pink ridge and pollinarium with
viscidium).

FIGURE 1. Bulbophyllum putaoensis. A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Front view of flower. D. Dissected flower. E. Lip. F. anther cap G.
Front view of column. H. Pollinarium (Photographed by Q. Liu).

FIGURE 2. Bulbophyllum putaoensis. A. Front view of Lip. B. Lateral view of column. C. Ventral view of Lip. D. Lateral view of Lip. E.
Front view of basal Lip (Photographed by Q. Liu).

58 Phytotaxa 305 (1) 2017 Magnolia Press LIU ET AL.

FIGURE 3. A. Inflorescence (A-1: Bulbophyllum putaoensis; A-2: B.umbellatum); B. Each part of flower (B-1: B. putaoensis; B-2:
B.umbellatum ); C. Pollinarium (C-1: B. putaoensis; C-2: B. umbellatum); D. Anther cap (D-1: B. putaoensis; D-2: B.umbellatum )
(Photographed by Q. Liu).

TABLE 1. Morphological characters of Bulbophyllum putaoensis and related species.

Character B. putaoensis B. umbellatum B. chyrmangensis B.salweenensis
Pseudobulb Narrowly ovoid Ovoid Ovoid Ovoid-conic
No. of flowers /inflorescence 45 flowered 24 flowered 23 flowered 24 flowered
Flower size Dorsal sepal Dorsal sepal Dorsal sepal Dorsal sepal
(14 6 mm) (9 5 mm) (13 8 mm) (8 5 mm);
Lateral sepals Lateral sepals Lateral sepals Lateral sepals
(18 7 mm) (15 5 mm) (26 8 mm) (10 5 mm)
Petals Petals Petals Petals
(8 4 mm) (7 5 mm) (9 6 mm) (52 mm)
Petal outline Lanceolate and margin Ovate and margin entire Ovate-triangular and margin Lanceolate and margin
entire entire denticulate
Lip outline With yellow stripe and hairy With yellow stripe and hairy With creamy yellow stripe With ridge and papillae on
on the basic edge on the basic edge and hairy on the basic edge the basic edge
Anther cap Oblong Subglobose Ovoid Subglobose
Column With 1 narrowly dentate With 1 narrowly dentate With 1 narrowly dentate With 1 narrowly dentate
stelidia stelidia stelidia stelidia
Pollinarium With viscidium Without viscidium With viscidium Without viscidium

Acknowledge
This work was financially supported by a project of the Southeast Asia biodiversity research institute, Chinese Academy of
Sciences (Y4ZK111B01). We are grateful for Mr. Kyaw Swa, Mr. Kyaw Win Myint and Mr. Dee Shin for their kind help in
the field work. We are also great to A.Q. Hu (HKU) for help with literature and advice.

Reference
Govaerts, R., Bernet, P., Kratochvil, K., Gerlach, G., Carr, G., Alrich, P., Pridgeon, A.M., Pfahl, J., Campacci, M. A., Holland Baptista, D.,
Tigges, H., Shaw, J., Cribb, P. J., George, A., Kreuz, K. & Wood, J.J. (2016) World Checklist of Orchidaceae. The Board of Trustees
of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Available from: http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/monocots/ (accessed 30 July 2016)
Kurzweil, H. & Lwin, S. (2014) A Guide to Orchids of Myanmar. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
Kurzweil, H., Watthana, S. & Lwin, S. (2010) Phaius takeoi (Orchidaceae) newly recorded from Thailand and Myanmar. The Garden
Bulletin, Singapore 62: 105109.
Kurzweil, H. & Lwin, S. (2012a) First record of Taeniophyllum (Orchidaceae) in Myanmar. The Garden Bulletin, Singapore 64: 133
137.
Kurzweil, H. & Lwin, S. (2012b) New records in the orchid flora of Myanmar. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) 40: 108113.
Lindley, J. (1830) Bulbophyllum. In: The genera and species of orchidaceous plants. Ridgways, London, pp. 4758.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.120492

BULBOPHYLLUM PUTAOENSIS (ORCHIDACEAE) Phytotaxa 305 (1) 2017 Magnolia Press 59

Nyan, Tun. (2014) Wild Orchids of Myanmar. Myanmar, Yongon: Daw Tin Aye (Green Leaf Publishing House).
Ormerod, P. & Sathis Kumar, C. (2003) Orchidaceous additions to the flora of Burma (Myanmar). Rheedea 13: 4350.
Ormerod, P. & Sathis Kumar, C. (2008) Orchidaceous additions to the flora of Myanmar 2. Rheedea 18: 7580.
Ormerod, P. (2002) Taxonomic changes in Gooderinae (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae). Lindleyana 17: 189238.
Ormerod, P. (2012) Orchidaceous additions to the floras of China and Myanmar. Taiwania 57: 117126.
Ormerod, P. & Wood, E.W. (2010) A new species of Pinalia (Orchidaceae: Eriinae) from Myanmar. Harvard Papers in Botany 15:
349351.
https://doi.org/10.3100/025.015.0215
Prigeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J, Chase M.W. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2014) Bulbophyllum. In: Genera Orchidacearum. Vol. 6. Epidendroideae
(Part Three). Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 451.
Tanaka, N., Yukawa, T., Khin Myo Htwe, Koyama, T. & Murata, J. (2011) New or noteworthy plant collections from Myanmar (7):
Fourteen additional species of Orchidaceae. Acta phytotaxonomica et geobotanica 61: 161165.
Verma, D., Lavania, S. & Singh, S.K. (2015) Bulbophyllum chyrmangensis (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae; Malaxideae), a new species
from Meghalaya, Northeast India. Phytotaxa 195 (1): 9497.
https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.195.1.9
Zhou, T.T. & Jin, X.H. (2015) Bulbophyllum salweenensis (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae; Malaxideae), a new species from Yunnan,
China. Phytotaxa 234 (1): 9597.
https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.234.1.8

60 Phytotaxa 305 (1) 2017 Magnolia Press LIU ET AL.