Oberonia gracilis Hook.f.

Bunpha, K., Pedersen, H. Ae. & Sridith, K., 2013, Establishing species distributions in large tropical plant genera: insights from twelve new Thai records of Oberonia (Orchidaceae), Blumea 58 (1), pp. 71-76 : 72-73

3. Oberonia gracilis Hook.f.

Oberonia gracilis Hook.f. (1886–1890) 685 [publ. 1888]. — Iridorkis gracilis (Hook.f.) Kuntze (1891) 669. — Type: King’s collector 564 (holo K n.v.), Peninsular Malaysia, Perak, Kinta River .

Oberonia nitidicauda J.J.Sm.(1918) 15, syn.nov. — Type: Winckel 310 (holo BO n.v., iso L), Java, Jawa Barat, Priangan, Tjibeber, c. 1000 m, 1917.

Occurrence in Thailand — Peninsular (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Yala) .

Distribution — Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia (e.g. Seidenfaden & Wood 1992), Java (e.g. Comber 1990).

Specimens examined. THAILAND, Niyomdham et al.6944-1 ( BKF), Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Khao Luang National Park , Khiriwong, 500–1000 m alt., 25 Feb. 1991 ; Tetsana et al. 382 ( PSU), Songkhla Province, Amphoe Hat Yai , Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary, Namtok Ton Nga Chang, c. 450 m alt., 2 Aug. 2011 , flowering in cultivation 30 Sept. 2011; Wai 368 ( PSU), Yala Province, Amphoe Betong , Ban Chulabhorn Phattana 10, 550 m alt., 27 Oct. 2005 .

Notes — 1. During recent revisions of the Thai Oberonia material in BKF and PSU, two previously unrecognized spirit samples of O. gracilis were noted. Together with a plant that was collected in fruit during a recent field trip with participation of the first author, and which subsequently flowered in cultivation, they represent a new national record.

2. Comparison of O. gracilis (as represented by the protologue, the material from Thailand and the drawing of the holotype provided by Seidenfaden 1968: f. 65) with the later O. nitidicauda (as represented by the protologue, an isotype in L and the illustration provided by Smith 1922: t. 31[III]), we are convinced that the two taxa are conspecific, and we therefore propose O. nitidicauda as a new synonym.