Nervilia plicata (Andrews) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst.

Nervilia plicata (Andrews) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. View in CoL 45: 403. 1911. Arethusa plicata Andrews, Bot. Repos. 5: t. 321. 1803. Epipactis plicata Roxb., Fl. Ind. View in CoL 3: 454. 1832. Pogonia plicata (Andrews) Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. 415. 1840. Lectotype (designated here): Andrews, Bot. Repos. 5: t. 321. 1803. (plate 321 is based on the collection, A.B. Lambert s.n., from East India in 1803).

Cordyla discolor Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind. 416. 1825.

Pogonia biflora Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: t. 1758. 1851.

Pogonia dallachyana F.Muell. ex Benth., Fl. Austral. View in CoL 6: 310. 1873.

Pogonia velutina C.S.P.Parish & Rchb.f., Trans. Linn. Soc. London View in CoL 30: 142. 1874.

Pogonia pulchella Hook.f., Bot. Mag. View in CoL 111: t. 6851. 1885.

Nervilia apiculata Schltr., Repert. View in CoL Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1: 41. 1911.

Nervilia porphyrophylla Schltr., Repert. View in CoL Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1: 41. 1911.

Pogonia purpurea Hayata, J. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. View in CoL Tokyo 30(1): 345. 1911. FiGS. 2 View FiG d-f, 5 & 6

Tuber spherical or ovoid, 1–2.5 cm in diameter. Leaf almost orbicular, broadly cordate at base, apex obtuse to almost rounded, 8–10 cm long, 8–12 cm wide, dark green to dark brown-purple, sometimes with darker blotches, many veined, pubescent, particularly along veins. Petiole erect, 2–4 cm long. Inflorescence 4–16 cm tall, 2-flowered, rarely 1 or 3; peduncle with 2–3 tubular sheaths. Floral bracts cuneate, acuminate, 3–7 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide. Flowers nodding, resupinate, widely opening. Pedicelled ovary 5–8 mm long, ridged. Sepals, petals similar, light pale brownish-yellow, lanceolate, acute, petals 2–3.5 cm long, 3.5–4.5 mm wide, sepals 2.5–3.5 cm long, 3–4 mm wide. Lip white, light yellowish-brown or light purple-violet, with yellow median stripe and light purple-red venation at the sides, entire, oblong-ovate, 12–16 mm long, 9–14 mm wide, spur absent, loosely embracing column at base; lip apex almost round or slightly emarginate; disk glabrous, with median ridge running from base to apex. Column clavate, 8–10 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, white; anther cap subquadrate; stigma suborbicular.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from February to May, fruiting from February to June.

Habitat: Terrestrial orchid growing in moist mixed evergreen forests and savanna grasslands. Mostly prefers shady places among short grasses at around 200–1100 m elevation. Recent field observations indicate that each subpopulation consists of 25–30 individuals. Locally rare.

Distribution: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam in Asia; Australia.

Specimens examined: INDIA, 1869, E.C. Parish 182 (K [K000387598]). SRI LANKA, Appalagala OSF, Balangoda Range, Belihuloya Beat, 20.03.1994, A.H.M. Jayasuriya 8173; Koslanda, Akkaraseeya, 18.03.2008, S.coll . AP. 2011/04/01; Beragala, 20.03.2009, S.coll . AP. 2011/04/02: plant with larger leaf and flower stalk on the lower side of the sheet belongs to N. plicata , while the specimen with smaller leaf in the upper part belongs to N. simplex ); Bulupitiya, near Nilgala, Bibile, 25.05.2009, AKAG 11; Ibid., 20.04.2009, AKAG 35; Ibid., 20.04.2009, AKAG 36 (PDA).

Notes: A specimen ( A.H.M. Jayasuriya 8173) of this species (leaf only), collected from Belihuloya area in Sabaragamuwa Province and bearing a note “ leaves purple ”, was deposited in PDA under the name N. juliana (Roxb.) Schltr .. Field observations in China, India, Laos and Sri Lanka have revealed that the leaf colour varies in this species from green to reddish-purple and sometimes they are even variegated with green-light green-reddish purple.

After repeated searches, the type for this name could not be located at K. It is assumed to have been lost, in which case a lectotype is needed for this name. Seidenfaden (1978) also indicated his doubt about the existence of the type and suggested that the Andrew’s illustration ( Andrew, 1803) should be considered as type. However, he did not formally designate a lectotype. The illustration, t. 321, in Andrews (1803) was based on “ the plants flowering at the hot-house of J. Vere, Esquire, Kensington Gore, in the month of July ”. This collection, as per the protologue, has come from Aylmer Bourke Lambert who originally sent it to England in 1803 from India. Hence, being based on original material, this plate is designated as the lectotype.

Nervilia simplex (Thouars) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. View in CoL 45 (3): 401. 1911. Arethusa simplex Thouars, Hist. Orchid. View in CoL : t. 24. 1822. Epidendrum simplex (Thouars) Spreng., Syst. Veg. View in CoL 3: 736. 1826. Pogonia simplex (Thouars) Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. View in CoL 2: 92. 1865. Aplostellis simplex Thouars, Hist. Orchid. View in CoL : t. 24. 1822. Lectotype (designated by Pettersson, 1991): MAURITIUS, s.loc., 1793-1796, Thouars, Maurice, Orch. Îles Austr. Afr.: t. g. Icon. 24. 1822. Stellorkis aplostellis Thouars, Hist. Orchid. View in CoL : t. 24. 1822.

Bolborchis crociformis Zoll. & Moritzi View in CoL in A.Moritzi, Syst. Verz. Java: 89. 1846.

Pogonia crispata Blume, Mus. Bot. View in CoL 1: 32. 1849. Pogonia prainiana King & Pantl., J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. View in CoL 2, Nat. Hist. 65: 129. 1896.

Coelogyne javanica Lindl., Fol. Orchid. View in CoL 5: 17. 1854.

Pogonia thouarsii Blume, Coll. Orchid. View in CoL : 152. 1859.

Pogonia bollei Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. View in CoL 2: 88. 1865.

Nervilia fimbriata Schltr. View in CoL in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach, Fl. Schutzgeb. Südsee, Nachtr.: 82. 1905.

Nervilia humilis Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. View in CoL 53: 551. 1915.

Nervilia reniformis Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. View in CoL 53: 551. 1915.

Nervilia francoisii H.Perrier, Bull. Trimestriel Acad. Malgache View in CoL , n.s., 21: 304. 1928.

Nervilia monantha Blatt. & McCann, J. View in CoL Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 35: 724. 1932.

Nervilia bathiei Senghas, Adansonia Ser. View in CoL 2, 4: 303. 1964.

Nervilia erosa P.J.Cribb, Kew Bull. View in CoL 32: 155. 1977. FiGS. 2 View FiG G-h, 7 & 8

Tuber subglobose to ovoid, about 1–2 cm in diameter, white. Leaf pale green, shallowly crenulate-polygonal, cordate at base, 7–9 cm long, 4–6 cm wide, slightly fleshy, sparsely setulose above, commonly with 7 main prominent veins, often slightly undulate along margin. Petiole erect, 1– 3(5) cm long. Inflorescence erect, 4–7 cm tall, 1- flowered; peduncle with 2–3 tubular scarious sheaths. Floral bract small, ovate to lanceolate, acute. Flower erect, not resupinate, opening widely, 2–4 cm across. Sepals and petals similar, lanceolate, light green; sepals 2–2.5 cm long, 1.2–2.5 mm wide, acute to acuminate; petals 1.8–2.3 cm long, 1–2 mm wide. Lip with strongly reflexed epichile, white, tinted green towards base, sometimes with yellowish spot at centre, rhombic, 15–18 mm long, 8–13 mm wide when flattened, spurless, entire or 3-lobed, lateral margins erect, loosely embracing column; apical margin irregularly lacerate or fimbriate; disk with low papillose ridge extending from lip base to apex. Column clavate, 6–8 mm long; stigma suborbicular.

Flowering: Flowering from May to September at the Nilgala subpopulation and in November at the Kalthota and Belihuloya subpopulations. Flowers open in the morning, emitting an unpleasant odour, and wither within a few hours. Fruiting not observed.

Habitat: In shady places in understorey and among short grasses, growing in loose, humus-rich soil, sometimes on banks of streams. Locally very rare.

Distribution: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam in Asia; Africa; Australia.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Sikkim, Lachoong Valley , July 1895, R. Pantling 372 ( BM [ BM000061415 ]) . NIGERIA, Ibadan Ogbomosho Forest Reserve, Olla hills, 01.04.1958, A. Binuyo 36921 ( P [ P00353521 ]) . SRI LANKA, Koslanda, Beragala , 20.03.2009, AP. 2011/04/02 ( PDA: this voucher contains multiple specimens, those with smaller leaves belong to N. simplex ); Bulupitiya, near Nilgala, Bibile, 25.05. 2009, AKAG 12 ; Ibid., 20.04.2009, AKAG 23 ( PDA) . TANZANIA, Nyassa Hochland, Station Kyimbila , 17.12.1912, A. Stolz 1791 ( K [ K000306638 ]) . ZAMBIA, South of Mwinilunga , October 1970, Drummond Williamson s.n. ( K [ K000306637 ]) .