Cypripedium subtropicum, a New Species Related to Selenipedilum

Abstract

Abstract:

Cypripedium subtropicum S. C. Chen et K. Y. Lang is a phytogeography-

cally significant new species with its habit, inflorescence and column very similar to

those of Selenipedilum of tropical America. It is found in Mêdog of southeastern Xi-

zang, China. Its slender leafy stem bears at the summit a many-flowered raceme, am-

ounting to 1.5 m in height. Although its ovary is unilocular—this is the reason why

we place it in Cypripedium, the column characters resemble those of Selenipedilum. For

example, the staminode is rather small and its long stalk is very similar in texture and

color to the filament of the fertile stamens. Obviously, it is a primitive new species re-

lated to Selenipedilum based on the similarities mentioned above.

In the subfamily Cypripedioideae, as generally recognized, Selenipedilum is the

most primitive genus, from which or whose allies Cypripedium is derived. Of phyto-

geographical significance is the fact that Selenipedilum occurs in Central America and

northern South America, while a cypripedium akin to it is discontinuously distributed

in subtropical Asia. This suggests that Selenipedilum or Selenipedilum-like form be

once continually distributed in North America and eastern Asia when the climate there

was warmer, as it is in the subtropics today. The floristic relationship between Central

America and subtropical Asia appears to be closer than expected, as shown by the dis-

tribution patterns of Tropidia, Erythrodes, etc. Based on the occurrence of all six sec-

tions and particularly the most primitive form in eastern Asia, Cypripedium seems to

be of Asian, rather than Central American, origin. Selenipedilum possesses some very

primitive characters, such as trilocular ovary, vanilla-scented fruit, seed with sclerotic

testa, simple column and more or less suffrutescent habit. The latter is considered by

Dahlgren & Clifford (1982) to be one of ancestral characters of monocotyledons, which

is now very rare not only in Orchidaceae but also in all monocotyledons. It is indeed

necessary to make further investigations on Selenipedilum and also the new species pub-

lished here, as well as a detailed comparison between them.

Key words: Orchidaceae, Cypripedioideae, Sect.Subtropica, Cypripedium subtropicum, Selenipedilum, Cypripedium

Chen Sing-Chi, Lang Kai-Yong. Cypripedium subtropicum, a New Species Related to Selenipedilum[J]. .

[1]	YANG Ping-Hou, LANG Kai-Yong. Neottia taibaishanensis, a new species of Orchidaceae from Shaanxi, China [J]. , 2006, 23(1): 86-88.
[2]	JIN Xiao-Hua, ZHANG Yu-Wu, Gloria SIU Lai-Ping. A new species of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) from China [J]. , 2001, 39(3): 269-271.
[3]	CHEN Sing-Chi, TSI Zhan-Huo, ZHU Guang-Hua. Notes on some subtribes of the Orchidaceae [J]. , 1999, 37(2): 113-116.
[4]	LANG Kai-Yong. A New Subgenus of Platanthera (Orchidaceae) [J]. , 1998, 36(5): 449-458.
[5]	Lang Kai-yong, Xi Yi-zhen, Hu Yu-shi. The Genus Neottianthe Schltr. (Orchidaceae) in China [J]. , 1997, 35(6): 533-549.
[6]	Tsi Zhan-huo, Chen Sing-chi. New Taxa of Orchidaceae from Xishuangbanna of South Yunnan, China [J]. , 1994, 32(6): 553-562.
[7]	Lang Kai-Yong, Yoichi Tateishi. A New Species of Calanthe (Orchidaceae) from Xizang (Tibet) [J]. , 1992, 30(6): 563-565.
[8]	Lang Kai-Yong. A Revision with Notes on the Orchidaceae from Xinjiang, China [J]. , 1992, 30(5): 460-470.
[9]	Chen Sing-Chi, Wu Jia-Lin. A New Species of Cypripedium from Yunnan [J]. , 1991, 29(1): 86-88.
[10]	Lang Kai-Yung. New Species of Orchidaceae from Sichuan and Yunnan, China [J]. , 1987, 25(5): 401-404.
[11]	Chen Sing-Chi, Tsi Zhan-Hue. Eria mêdogensis, a Probably Peloric Form of Eria Coronaria, with a Discussion on Peloria in Orchidaceae [J]. , 1987, 25(5): 329-339.
[12]	Chen Sing-Chi. Cypripedium wumengense and Its Allies [J]. , 1985, 23(5): 369-375.
[13]	Lang Kai-Yung. New Species of Orchidaceae from Western Sichuan, China [J]. , 1984, 22(4): 312-315.
[14]	Yang Di-Qing, Zhu Xie-Fu. The Chromosome Numbers of 12 Species in Orchidaceae from China [J]. , 1984, 22(3): 252-255.
[15]	Chen Sing-Chi, Tsi Zhan-Huo. On Paphiopedilum malipoense sp. nov.—An Intermediate Form Between Paphiopedilum and Cypripedium, with a Discussion on the Origin of the genus [J]. , 1984, 22(2): 119-124.

Cypripedium subtropicum, a New Species Related to Selenipedilum

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