Cynorkis hasinaiHervouet & Ranaivo, sp. nov. (Orchidaceae, Orchidioideae, Habenariinae), a new species from Madagascar
A new species of Orchidaceae, Cynorkis hasinai Hervouet & Ranaivo, sp. nov., discovered in the north of Madagascar, is described and assigned to section Parviflorae. It has a very distinctive uppermost 5-lobed lip and the closest species is Cynorkis schlechteri H.Perrier.
KEYWORDS: Madagascar, Cynorkis, new species.
Une nouvelle espèce d’Orchidaceae, Cynorkis hasinai Hervouet & Ranaivo, sp. nov. découverte dans le nord de Madagascar est décrite et attribuée à la section Parviflorae. Elle possède un remarquable labelle supère pentalobé. L’espèce la plus proche est Cynorkis schlechteri H.Perrier.
MOTS CLÉS: Madagascar, Cynorkis, espèce nouvelle.
The genus , the largest terrestrial orchid genus in Madagascar with 139 species, was created by Thouars. In the same work he created the genus , are currently done in a joint effort of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, University of La Réunion and Kwazulu-Natal University. It will help characterize the genus
In this paper we present a new species of
Acronyms of herbaria follow
MO Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis;
P Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris;
The description of this new species is based on both insitu observations and on the herbarium specimens cited, in P and TAN.
Maps used as a background for the distribution map have been downloaded from the following website: http://www.fao.org/geonetwork/srv/en (land cover of Madagascar, dated 2009)
The locality coordinates have been done by the authors, using a Garmin etrex 10 GPS with a WGS 84 datum.
For the plant identification terminology, we used Harris & Harris (2000).
Conservation status assessment is given following the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, version 3.1 (IUCN 2012).
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- Orchidoideae A.A. Eaton
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This species belongs to the group of section
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The species is dedicated to Rakotobe Hasimbola Joelina, known as Hasina. He has been since 2017 our guide, driver and dear friend. He is an ardent orchid enthusiast and an outstanding prospector with a very keen eye. We owe him a lot of discoveries and he was able, with his son Landry in February 2020, after extensively scouting the place, to find one plant in flower among many others which were only in bud.
End February to June.
Madagascar. It is so far known only from Montagne d’Ambre National Park in the north of Madagascar (Fig. 7). In the herb layer of humid forests. It has the same habitat and flowering season than
This species has been collected from a single locality in Montagne d’Ambre National Park, which suffers, within its limits, from illegal logging and clandestine culture of khat (
Madagascar•Diana, Montagne d’Ambre National Park; VI.2024; J. Bosser 20348; P01800748! •Diana, Montagne d’Ambre National Park, near Sommet d’Ambre; 12°35’S, 49°09’E; 9-13.IV.1993; S. Malcomber, O. Andrianantoanina & J. Rebety 2344; paratype: MO• Diana, Montagne d’Ambre National Park; 12°37’15”S, 49°10’25”E; alt. 1100 m; 9.IV.2008; S.M. Trigui, M.H. Razanajatovo & S.D. Ramandimbimanana SMT 168; P01768887!•Diana, Montagne d’Ambre National Park; 12°32’02”S, 49°09’52”E; alt. 1198 m; 3.IV.2024; J. Ranaivo RJn_Pol_2024-002, Aut. Rec. N°72/24/MEDD/SG/DGGE/DAPRNE/SCBE; TAN!•Diana, Montagne d’Ambre National Park; 12°31’54”S, 49°10’17”E; alt. 1162 m; 4.IV.2024; J. Ranaivo RJn_Pol_2024-003; TAN!
The closest species, locus classicus. Specimen P01768832 in P, Nusbaumer L. et al.LN2375, from Montagne d’Ambre, has been determined locus classicus.
No pollinator of
A DNA analysis has been done and will be presented in a further article including other
Slender terrestrial herb, sometimes also epiphytic on fallen trunks or branches, 17-42 cm tall including the inflorescence. Tubers 1-3, fusiform, elongated, 5 × 1 cm, roots 5-8, up to 6 cm long, wiry, diameter 2-3 mm. Stem and peduncle cylindrical, 2-3 mm in diameter, with a basal enveloping sheath c. 15 mm long, and then up to 8 sheathing acicular scales c. 20 × 2 mm, evenly spaced up to the rachis. Leaves 1-2, basal, sheathing the stem at their base, erect, elliptic to linear-lanceolate, acute or slightly acuminate, 5-26 × 2.3-4 cm, ventrally deep green mottled with light green or white, dorsally light green; one or both margins of the leaf may be thinly undulated, giving a denticulate aspect (Fig. 9). Rachis with 18-30 flowers, 5-7 cm long, cylindrical. Floral bracts linear, acuminate 4-12 mm × 0.8-3 mm. Ovary suberect, not twisted, ridged, 10 × 1 mm, with glandular hairs, light green. Flowers very small, from top to bottom 11 mm, 9 mm wide, secund, spreading; dorsal sepal cucullate, concave, almost navicular, obtuse, 3 × 2.2 mm, white slightly tinged with pink; lateral sepals ovate, almost navicular, falcate, obtuse, 3 × 2.2 mm, concave at the apex, 3-nerved, strongly reflexed, dorsally with glandular hairs, white; petals elliptic, 3 × 1.7 mm, falcate, 3-nerved, also with a few glandular hairs, white with apex tinged with pink and a few purple marks; lip 5-lobed, 5-6.6 × 3-8 mm, erect, dorsally white, ventrally with white gorge and all lobes with wine-coloured streaks and points, basal lobes short, 1-2 mm, sub-rectangular, intermediate lobes 3-4.6 mm long, spatulate, 0.6-1.5 mm wide, progressively widened, at c. 45° from vertical axis, midlobe triangular, 2 × 1.2 mm, acute, with 3 parallel nerves; spur parallel to the ovary, above it, broadening from base to apex, laterally flattened (1 mm high × 0.5 mm wide), ampullaceous at the apex, 3-4 × 0.6 mm, translucent. Column 1-2 × 0.7-0.8 mm, anther obtuse; rostellum slightly trilobed, saddle-shaped, the three lobes subequal, middle lobe bifid. Caudicles and viscidia lying in the grooves formed between the rostellum lobes. Auricles on either side of pollinia, triangular in front view.
It is amazing that this new species has been discovered in a national park which has been extensively searched and visited by famous botanists in the 20th century, such as Henri Perrier de la Bâthie and Jean Bosser. The latter had collected it in 1970, but he never described it. As a matter of fact, it was only when locus classicus on the east coast of Madagascar and a photograph (Fig. 9) published (Hervouet 2018: 310) that the two plants could be clearly distinguished.
Many and sincere thanks to the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris for their long and generous hospitality and their very fruitful collaboration, in particular and by alphabetical order: Emmanuel Côtez and Thierry Deroin for their ongoing support and advice, Florent Martos for his help and collaboration, and many interesting conversations. Congratulations to Roger Lala for his fine line drawing of the new plant. Many thanks to the two reviewers, Marie Stella Jagou and Thierry Pailler (La Réunion University), who greatly contributed to improve the paper and suggested scientific improvements.
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A, habit;
B, rachis;
C, side view of ovary and flower;
D, front view of flower;
E, extracted pollen (left), auricles and pollinia (right);
F, dorsal sepal;
G, lateral sepal;
H, petal;
I, lip;
J, leaf. Scale bars: A, 2 cm; C, E, 1 mm; B, D, F, G, H, I, 2 mm; J, 1 cm. Drawing by Roger Lala.
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locus classicus, Montagne d’Ambre National Park, 29 February 2020. Photograph by Jean-Michel Hervouet.
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