Cymbidium lii M. Z. Huang, J. M. Yin & G. S. Yang 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Huang, Ming-Zhong
name: Liu, Zhi-Long
name: Yang, Guang-Sui
name: Yin, Jun-Mei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Asparagales
Orchidaceae
Cymbidium
Cymbidium lii

description: Cymbidium lii M.Z.Huang, J.M.Yin & G.S.Yang, sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 2)
Type:— China: Hainan: Wanning County, Mount Jianling, palm crown in the valley, 950 m, 16 May 2016, Huang 160521001 (holotype & paratype: ATCH!).
Diagnosis: This new species is similar to C. dayanum Rchb. f. and C. aestivum Z.J.Liu et S.C.Chen, but differs in its branching rhizome, clavate pseudobulbs, round mid-lobe and smooth lamellae.
A large epiphyte. Rhizome trailing and branching, 7–8 mm in diam, up to 1.2 m long. Pseudobulbs borne 10–15 cm apart from each other, stemlike, 5–30 cm × 1–2 cm, bilaterally flattened. Leaves 20–80 cm × 1.0– 1.7 cm, linearligulate, acute, arching, somewhat coriaceous, sheathing base articulated 5–10 cm from pseudobulb. Inflorescence 2 or 3, arising from within the lower leaf bases, 15–40 cm long, suberect, with 10–22 flowers. Flowers small, c. 4 cm across; pedicel and ovary reddish brown; sepals yellow-green; petals yellow-green, centrally with a red band extending from base to middle; lip red, tinged with cream yellow at the base and bright yellow at the center of the mid-lobe, densely with cream stripes on the side-lobes, the callus ridges cream; column red; anther-cap pale yellow. Pedicel and ovary 2.0–4.0 cm long. Dorsal sepal 2.4–2.7 cm × 0.9–1.1 cm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, apiculate, erect. Lateral sepals similar, subacute, slightly curved, spreading. Petals 2.0– 2.2 cm × 0.5–0.7 cm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, subacute. Lip 3-lobes, 1.5–1.7 cm long when flattened; side lobes erect, nearly as long as the column, oblong-elliptic, round at the apex; mid-lobe 0.4-0.5cm, round, apiculate, recurved, minutely papillose; disc with 2 smooth lamellae extending to the base of the mid-lobe. Column 1.3–1.5 cm long, erect; pollinia two, ovate-elliptic, cleft; viscidium triangular. Capsule ellipsoid, 7–8 cm long, ca. 2 cm in diam.
Distribution and habitat: — Cymbidium lii only grows on canopy base of a local palm, Livistona saribus (Lour.) Merr. ex A. Chev. in the valley at 800–1000 m elevation. It is a scrambling plant which differs from others of this genus, the spreading rhizome that always makes it keeping on the continually raised palm crown, not to stranding or dropping out along with rotten petiole.
Phenology: —The new species is bi-seasonal flowering, one during May–June and the other during August– September.
Etymology: —The specific epithet honors its discoverer, Mr. Bing-xin Li.
Taxonomic discution: — Cymbidium lii is distinctive among the epiphyte species in the genus because it has clavate pseudobulbs growing on a branching long rhizome. The new species is similar to C. dayanum and C. aestivum (Liu et al. 2006), but differs as noted below (Tab. 1). Cymbidium lii has more flourishing leaves, which can be up to 20, while other two species are less than 10. Furthermore, round shape of labellum mid-lob (VS. broadly ovate and ovate-oblong) and glossy disc lamellae (VS. hairy) are also easy to distinguish among them.
The micromorphology comparison shows a big difference between the seeds of C. lii and C. dayanum (Table 2, Fig. 3). In terms of shape, C. lii is subcylindrical while C. dayanum is fusiform. In terms of size, C. lii is only one in fifteen in volume than that of C. dayanum. Futhermore, the furcella of C. dayanum is triangular pyramid shaped, while C. lii does not have this character.
L, length; SD, standard deviation (representing the variation of the species); W, width; V, volume; N, NO. at long axis of testa cells.
Conservation status: ––There is only one population of the new species, which consists of only 17 individuals (clumps). According to the World Conservation Union Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN, 2012), C. lii should be treated as critically endangered.
description: Published as part of Huang, Ming-Zhong, Liu, Zhi-Long, Yang, Guang-Sui & Yin, Jun-Mei, 2017, An unusual new epiphytic species of Cymbidium (Orchidaceae: Epidedroideae) from Hainan, China, pp. 289-293 in Phytotaxa 314 (2) on pages 290-292, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.314.2.12, http://zenodo.org/record/13686840