Platanthera anatina Ormerod 2013

TYPE drawing by © Paul Ormerod and * Taiwania, 58(1): 20-34, Orchidaceous Additions to the Flora of China (II) Ormerod 2013

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Duck Head Platanthera [refers to the column being in the shape of a duck]

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in northwestern Yunnan province of China at margins of alpine swamp at elevations around 2900 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial with an erect, terete stem provided with 2 sheaths and carrying a single, oblong-ovate, obtuse, petiolate base leaf leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on a terminal, peduncle 5 to 5.8" " [12.5 to 14.5 cm] long, provided with 4 to 7, lowest one sometimes subfoliaceous sheathing bracts, rachis 1.08 to 1.28" " [2.7 to 3.1 cm] long, secundly, to spirally 10 to 12 flowered inflorescence with ovate, acute, ahorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying white flowers.

"This species is most closely related to P. uniformis but differs from it in having flowers with a shorter, .092" vs .12" [2.3 vs. 3 mm] spur, a column with a dilated (vs. undilated) lower half, and longer lateral appendages that are subequal with the anther. Platanthera anatina, P. contigua Tang & F.T. Wang P. uniformis and Platanthera urceolata (C.B. Clarke) R.M. Bateman are all referrable to the former genus Diphylax. This group was previously believed to have only three species but it has obviously speciated in China since only P. urceolata occurs outside the country in Bhutan, India and Myanmar. It is my belief that further novelties in this complex will be described because many of the taxa look superficially similar and therefore they may have been overlooked in the herbarium. " Ormerod 2013

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Taiwania, 58(1): 20-34, Orchidaceous Additions to the Flora of China (II) Ormerod 2013 drawing fide;

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