Habenaria viridiflora (Rottler ex Sw.) R.Br. ex Spreng., Syst. Veg.

Habenaria viridiflora (Rottler ex Sw.) R.Br. ex Spreng., Syst. Veg. View in CoL 3: 691. 1826. Orchis viridifolia Rottler ex Sw., Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl., Ser. 2, t. 21: 206. 1800. Lectotype (designated here): India Orientalis , ex Herb. Rottler s.n. (S07-289.2!; iso S 07-288.1!). Fig. 2 View Fig

The sheet at S (S07-289.2) is chosen here as the lectotype for Orchis viridiflora , as it is from O. Swartz’s Herbarium, who described the species, and it has an annotation by Rottler, who collected the species. Rottler’s collection of O. viridiflora at L (L1381.15) and C (C10016243), the former is from Tranquebar, collected in 1796 but without Swartz’s annotation. The latter has a small manuscript description by Rottler on the back of the specimen; however, it is also without Swartz’s writing. Averyanov (1994) cited a collection at C as a type, possibly he was not aware of Rottler’s collection of O. viridiflora at Swartz’s herbarium.

Habenaria viridiflora is a widespread orchid in continental Southeast Asia. It was rarely collected from Maharashtra and Concan ( Jalal, 2018) from where Dalzell described it under Coeloglossum . It can be recognized in the field with its thin, deeply penetrating narrow tubers, elliptic-oblong often glaucous leaves in a rosette, with almost equal sepals and petals.

Hooker (1890) reduced Coeloglossum luteum to Habenaria viridiflora var. dalzellii . It was solely based on collections by Dalzell from Malwan. It is characterised by rosette-like linear leaves, a very slender, wire-like scape, smaller flowers, and a slender and incurved spur longer than the ovary. A comparison of the protologues and the original material of C. luteum and O. viridiflora show them to be conspecific. The type specimens for C. luteum are available at K and DD. There are three sheets at K: K001097955 (Orchideae no. 36) brought by Stocks, which is missing Dalzell’s annotation. K001097954 is a part of Dalzell’s personal collection presented in 1878 by Mrs. Dalzell, the same collection is also distributed at DD (Acc. no. 17259); although it is labelled by Dalzell, it is difficult to determine that it has been labelled prior to the publication of the species. The remaining two sheets at K are yet to be digitized, and one has Dalzell’s annotation, ‘ Coeloglossum luteum ’. It perhaps arrived at K before 1848 and is now pasted with Griffith’s collection. It is chosen here as lectotype giving preference over the remaining specimens at K. Another specimen at K has a similar label as on the lectotype, but the collection belongs to Peristylus densus (Lindl.) Santapau & Kapadia. The other collection by Dalzell, with publication details on it has been excluded from the original material. It is not clear whether the GH00217952 from Vengurla (now part of Malwan) was used by Dalzell when he was preparing the MS.

2. Dendrobium crispum Dalzell View in CoL , Hooker’s J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 4: 111. 1852 (excl. descr.). Dendrobium humile Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5, 5: t. 1643. 1851, nom. illeg., non Smith (1808). Type:

INDIA , Tamil Nadu, Iyamally, s.d., R. Wight s.n. (K [K000943912!]) .

An epiphytic orchid that occurs in peninsular India , Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Thailand. It was previously known as D. peguanum Lindl. Dendrobium crispum can be recognised in the field by ellipsoid pseudobulbs, a short (up to 7 mm long) pedunculate inflorescence, and c. 15 mm long flowering rachis with patent floral bracts, and a medial lip callus that ends with two prostrate horns ( Ormerod & Kumar, 2018).

Dalzell (1852) described Dendrobium crispum citing D. humile Wight (1851) , which is a later homonym of D. humile Smith (1808) . However, D. crispum has been retained by replacing D. humile Wight with its type, excluding the description. Ormerod and Kumar (2018) described Dendrobium turbinatum based on the accompanying description of D. crispum ( Fig. 3a View Fig ).

Lindley’s (1858) perception of Dendrobium crispum auct. Dalzell (1852) and D. humile Wight (1851) were altogether different, he considered both conspecific with D. microbulbon A.Rich. ( Richard, 1841) , which has been followed for many years ( Dalzell & Gibson, 1861; Hooker, 1890; Nairne, 1894; Cooke, 1908; Almeida, 1990; Jalal, 2018; POWO, 2023). However, D. microbulbon differs from D. turbinatum by having a synanthous habit, a conical, obtuse, incurved mentum, and a suborbicular lip mid-lobe ( Ormerod & Kumar, 2018).

3. Dendrobium dalzellii Hook. View in CoL , Hooker’s J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 4: 292. 1852 ( Dendrobium fimbriatum Dalzell in MSS non Hooker, 1823, nec Lindley, 1830). Neotype (designated here): INDIA , Bombay, s.d., N. A. Dalzell s.n. (K [K000881643.