Liparis robustior Aver. 2019 SECTION Cestichis

Photos by © L. Averyanov and New Orchids (Orchidaceae) in the Flora of Vietnam I. Epidendroideae Website

Partial Shade Cool LATER Fall

Common Name or Meaning The Most Robust Liparis

Flower Size .64 to .72" [1.6 to 1.8 cm]

Found in northern Vietnam in primary broad leaved evergreen, humid submontane forests on limestone at elevations of 1000 to 1200 meters as a medium sized, cool growing epiphyte or lithophyte with a thin, short, insignificant plagiotropic rhizome giving rise to erect, densely crowded, grassy green, ovoid, broadly ovoid to subglobular pseudobulbs carrying 2, apical, broadly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute, gradually tapering to an almost sessile conduplicate base leaves that blooms in the later fall on an erect, peduncle 6.4 to 9.6" [16 to 24 cm] long, grassy green, terete, to hardly flattened, rachis 6.4 to 11.2" [16 to 28 cm] long, elongating during antithesis, laxly, successively many flowereed inflorescence with grassy green, narrowly cuneate, acuminate, erect, somewhat shorter than the flowers floral bracts.

"In its floral morphology the new species is somewhat similar with the widespread and variable L. bootanensis Griff. However, the new species strikingly differs in its robust plant habit with leaves to 16" [40 cm] long, 2" [5 cm] wide (vs. leaves commonly much less than 8" [20 cm] long and 1" [2.5 cm] wide), 2-leaved, ovoid to almost globular pseudobulbs .6 to 1.4" [1.5 to 3.5 cm] wide (vs. 1-leaved, narrowly conoid pseudobulbs less than .32" [0.8 cm] wide), inflorescence 14 to 22" [35 to 55 cm] long with rachis 6.4 to 11.2" [16 to 28 cm] long (vs. inflorescence less than 8" [20 cm] long with the rachis less than 4" [10 cm] long), bracteate scape (vs. usually naked scape), large flowers with tepals .4 to .48" [10 to 12 mm] long (vs. tepals less than .32" [8 mm] long) and column having very insignificant, hardly visible wings (vs. column with prominent, elongate, hook-like wings). Species was found not far from Chinese border, hence its occurrence may be expected in limestone areas of China allied to Vietnam." Aver. 2019

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Taiwania 64(2): 176-188 New Orchids (Orchidaceae) in the Flora of Vietnam I. Epidendroideae K.S. Nguyen and L. Averyanov 2019 photo fide

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