Oberonia pachyphylla King & Pantl.

Geiger, D. L., 2020, Studies in Oberonia 8 (Orchidaceae: Malaxideae). Additional 24 new synonyms, a corrected spelling, and other nomenclatural matters, Blumea 65 (3), pp. 188-203 : 198

Oberonia pachyphylla King & Pantl. — Fig. 11

Oberonia pachyphylla King & Pantl.(1898) 5,pl. 4. — Lectotype (designated by Seidenfaden 1968: 102, inadvertent lectotype designation by reference to CAL!, type): Pantling 429 (CAL), [ India,] near the base of the Sikkim-Himalaya , at Salgurra near Siliguri, 900 ft.

Oberonia janae Aver. in Aver. et al. (2015) 171, f. 12C, 14. — Type: Leong– Skornickova et al. JLS-2678 (holo SING [not found in Oct. 2018]; iso LE, VNMN), Vietnam, Binh Thuan province, Bac Binh district, Phan Son com- mune, Sa Mai mountain , N11°29'36.6" E108°20'18.2", 824 m, syn. nov.

Notes — Oberonia janae is a synonym of O. pachyphylla . Averyanov et al. (2015) compared the two species and noted as differentiating characters the more deeply incised serrations on the lateral lobes of the lip and the papillae/ hairs on the back of the sepals. The depth of the serration appears to be variable based on various illustrations in the literature ( Seidenfaden 1968: f. 69, see Fig. 11e–g , Pradhan 1979: text-fig.; Ansari & Balakrishnan 1990: f. 33, see Fig. 11g ). The backside of the sepals has never been illustrated, yet Averyanov et al. (2015) did not cite voucher material for O. pachyphylla s.str. Ansari & Balakrishnan (1990) described the sepals as gland dotted and illustrated it with small circles over the surface. That description was based on the lectotype, a pressed specimen. Proper glands are unknown on the flowers of Oberonia , but pressed hairs may appear like glands.Accordingly, this alleged differences has not been properly documented. Additionally, the cited difference in the erose margin of the bract is in error, as the illustration of King & Pantling (1898: pl. 4, see Fig. 11c ) showed that serrations clearly in the protologue of O. pachyphylla . The shared characters include the habit ( Fig. 11a, h ), the fleshy leaves, the subsessile flowers, the bract with erose margin of the bract ( Fig. 11c, l ), the overall shape of the lip with incised lateral lobes ( Fig. 11b, d–g, i–k ). The distribution of O. pachyphylla s.str. encompasses Vietnam and neighbouring countries (e.g., Averyanov 2013), making a microendemic cryptic species even more unlikely.

The case of O. equitans and its 10 synonyms confirmed by molecular phylogeny and SEM investigations of the flowers shows the extensive phenotypic plasticity in Oberonia spp. ( Geiger et al. 2020). The variability of lateral processes is equally well documented in other species such as O. insectifera Hook.f. ( Geiger 2019) , as well as in O. pachyphylla discussed above.Accordingly, the variety named in Averyanov et al. (2015) does not justify species-level recognition; it falls well within intraspecific variability.

Oberonia seidenfadenii (H.J.Su) Ormerod appears to be another likely synonym of O. pachyphylla . As I have not yet been able to track the protologue in the Journal of the Experimental Forest of National Taiwan University, I cannot address it with sufficient confidence.

Figures

Fig. 11 a–c. Illustrations of O. pachyphylla from King & Pantling (1898: pl. 4). a. Habit; b. flower; c. bract; d–f. drawings of flowers from Seidenfaden (1968: f. 69) showing the variability of the serrations along the lateral lobes of the lip; g. drawing of lip from lectotype Pantling 429 CAL by Ansari & Balakrishnan (1990: f. 33g); h–l. illustrations from the protologue of O. janae from Averyanov et al. (2015: f. 14); h. habit; i. flower; j–k. lips; l. bract.