Liparis casseabria Q. Liu & X. F Wu 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Yu-Qian
name: Wu, Xun-Feng
name: Li, Jin-Long
name: Zhou, Shi-Shun
name: Li, Ren
name: Liu, Qiang
name: Li, Lin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Asparagales
Orchidaceae
Liparis
Liparis casseabria

description: Liparis casseabria Q. Liu & X.F Wu, sp. nov. (Figure 1)
Type:— MYANMAR. Chin State, Natma Taung National Park (Mt. Victoria), terrestrial in the Tropical dipterocarp-forest, 800–850 m, 06 July 2019, Qiang Liu, NT006 (holotype, HFTC!).
Diagnosis: — Liparis casseabria is characterized by having subterranean tuber enclosed by membranous sheaths, light yellowish green flowers with persistent, reflexed floral bracts. This species is quite distinct from other terrestrials by the rounded, auriculate folds near the middle of the lip.
Terrestrial herbs, 8–10 cm tall. Subterranean pseudobulb tuberous, ellipsoid, 2.0– 2.5 cm in diam., noded, enclosed by several white, membranous sheaths basally. Leaves 2, petiole sheath-like, amplexicaul, not articulate toward base, ovate-elliptic, 14–16 × 3.5–4.5 cm, membranous or herbaceous, base contracted into petiole, margin entire and smooth, apex acuminate. Inflorescence 15–20 cm in length, conspicuously exceeding leaves; rachis 20–30-flowered; floral bracts reflexed, lanceolate, 4–5 mm. Flowers yellowish green, small; pedicel and ovary 4.5–5.0 mm. Dorsal sepal linear-lanceolate, 3.8–4.0 × ca. 1.5 mm, margin revolute, apex acute; lateral sepals elliptical, 1.8–2.0 × 2.0– 2.4 mm, margin revolute, apex obtuse. Petals narrowly lanceolate, 1.8–2.0 × ca. 0.5 mm, margin strongly revolute, often falcate, apex acute. Lip broadly elliptic or suborbicular, ca. 2.5 mm, conspicuously folded and twisted on both sides near middle, appearing like 2 lateral auricles, with a concave callus near base, margin entire and apex emarginate. Column suberect to somewhat incurved at upper part, ca. 2.5 mm long, ventrally with an apical pair of obtusely triangular wings. Pollinia four, in two pairs, waxy, ovoid; anther-cap elliptic, truncate in front.
Etymology:—The specific epithet is derived from the abbreviation of Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS-SEABRI), which is committed to enhancing biodiversity research, conservation and sustainability of Southeast Asia regions.
Phenology: —Flowering from July to August.
Distribution and habitat: — Liparis casseabria is terrestrial species that grows in secondary forest from slashand-burn cultivation, which is dominated by Dipterocarpus tuberculatus Roxburgh (1832: 614) (Dipterocarpaceae), as well as some of other orchid species, including Nervilia aragoana Gaudichaud (1829: 422), N. infundibulifolia Blatt. & McCann (1932: 725), Peristylus goodyeroides (D. Don) (1825: 25) Lindley (1835: 299), Eulophia spectabilis (Dennstedt) (1818: 38) Suresh (1988: 300).
Conservation status: — Liparis casseabria was collected in Natma Taung National Park, Chin State, Myanmar. It was only found in the secondary Dipterocarpus tuberculatus forest with an elevation of 600 to 800 meters, where the forests were destroyed by slash-and-burn cultivation, and still seen the fire marks on the surrounding tree trunks. Until now, only two populations, consisting of ca. 100 individuals have been seen. However, the habitat has been protected and forests also gradually tend to stability, and the more and more individuals of Liparis casseabria will emerge in this area. Therefore, we suggest that the current conservation status of this new species to be Data Deficient following the latest IUCN guidelines (IUCN 2019).
Note: —In general, Liparis casseabria is similar to L. jovispluvii and L. tschangii (Table1), particularly in the same terrestrial life type, non-jointed leaves in membranous thin texture, and which belongs to the sect. Liparis (Seidenfaden 1974; Tsi 1999), but is distinguished from L. tschangii by having significantly smaller flowers (eg. dorsal sepal: 3.8– 4.0 mm in length) (vs: dorsal sepal: 7–8 mm in length) (Seidenfaden 1974; Chen et al. 2009). Morphologically, L. casseabria shows more similarities to L. jovispluvii in leaves and flower size. However, after further examination of the type specimen (holotype: K000387782) (digitized image at Kew), illustration from Orchid Genera in Thailand IV (page 44, Fig. 25) of L. jovispluvii and literature research (Parish & Reichenbach 1874; Hooker 1890; Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959; Seidenfaden 1974), we found significant differences between these two species. L. casseabria has a prominent suborbicular lip conspicuously folded and twisted on both sides near middle, with entire margins, slightly notched (vs. oblong or reniform lip, which is constricted into an auriculate claw at base with crenulated margins). In addition, L. casseabria is easily distinguished from the latter by having an obvious subterranean tuber, 2.0– 2.5 cm in diam., two leaves, narrowly lanceolate petals and column wings obtusely triangular with rounded apex, whereas L. jovispluvii usually has 3–4 leaves, hardly pseudobulbous below, filiform petal, with column wings quadrate and broadly uncinated (Seidenfaden 1974).
description: Published as part of Wang, Yu-Qian, Wu, Xun-Feng, Li, Jin-Long, Zhou, Shi-Shun, Li, Ren, Liu, Qiang & Li, Lin, 2022, Liparis casseabria, (Malaxideae: Orchidaceae) a new species from Chin State, Myanmar, pp. 109-114 in Phytotaxa 575 (1) on page 110, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.575.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/7403366