Platanthera urceolata (C.B.Clarke) R.M.Bateman, Ann. Bot.

Platanthera urceolata (C.B.Clarke) R.M.Bateman, Ann. Bot. View in CoL 104(3): 439. 2009. Habenaria urceolata C.B.Clarke, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 25: 73, t. 30. 1889. Diphylax urceolata (C.B.Clarke) Hook.f. , Hooker’s Icon. Pl. 19: t. 1865. 1889. Lectotype (designated by Efimov, 2016): INDIA , Nagaland, Naga Hills, Jakpho, 9000 ft., 25.10.1885, Clarke 41272c (K [K000247409 digital image!]; isolecto CAL [CAL0000000732!], K [K00041272b digital image!])

Distribution: India , Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Nepal.

Specimens examined: INDIA , Arunachal Pradesh, Valley of Senighku, 01.10.1926, Kingdon-Ward 7524 (K digital image); Anjaw District, Delei River, 18.09.1928, Kingdon-Ward 8650 (K digital image); Ibid., 19.09.1928, Kingdon-Ward 8544 (K digital image). Assam, s.loc., August 1994, s.coll. 23487 (ASSAM). Nagaland, Dimapur District, Chakabama, s.d., Hynniewta 74576 (ASSAM); Kohima District, Japfu hills, s.d., Hynniewta 74587 (ASSAM); Kohima, s.d., Hynniewta 79974, 79975 (ASSAM); Noklak district, Naga Hills, Japoo, 28.09.1935, Bor 6412 (K digital image). Sikkim, s.loc., 3300 m, 16.09.2000, D. Maity 23247 (BSHC); East Sikkim district, Yakla, 12000 ft., 15.10.1869, Clarke 10244 (CAL); North Sikkim district, Zemu Chu, 05.10.1947, Cave 92 (K digital image); West Sikkim district, Megu, 1913, Ribu & Rohmoo 6442 (E digital image). West Bengal, Darjeeling district, Richi-La, September 1894, Pantling 347 (BM digital image).

Notes: Clarke (1889) originally described this plant as Habenaria urceolata and he felt that this plant strongly differed from other known Habenaria species. Hooker (1889), who happened to study Clarke’s collections observed two linear processes pointing obliquely forward in the mouth of the corolla, a character which differs from Habenaria , and placed it under a new genus Diphylax as D. urceolata (C.B.Clarke) Hook.f. Later, Hooker (1890) reverted the name to Habenaria urceolata under the aberrant section Diphylax . Presently Diphylax has been synonymised under Platanthera ( P. urceolata (C.B.Clarke) R.M.Bateman ), based on molecular data ( Bateman et al., 2009).

A related specimen was collected from Sikkim (Rohmoo Lepcha 1161 [E00008069]). According to the annotation on the herbarium sheet by Renz, 1995, the intention was to describe a new species, Diphylax sikkimensis . Unfortunately, this specimen is in poor condition. Both Renz (1995) and Pearce and Cribb (2002) examined its morphology and reported large ‘staminodes’ as an indication of its relationship to Diphylax (drawing in Pearce & Cribb, 2002). Further fresh collections are needed to establish this as a novel species.

Subgen. Platanthera section unclear