Oberonia obcordata Lindl.

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 obcordata Lindl. — Fig. 10

Oberonia obcordata Lindl.(1859) 7. — Syntypes: Griffith s.n. (K 000974238), [ India,] Darjeeling; Gr iffith s.n. (K 000974231), [ India, Meghalaya,] Khasia Myrung ; Hooker f. & Thomson 112 (K 000974237), [ India,] Sikkim, 2000 ft.

Oberonia menghaiensis S.C. Chen (1982) 190, f. 1.1–3. — Syntypes: C.W. Wang 76269 (AMES 50102/Harvard Barcode 00101993, PE 1641349/ barcode 27299 (see Lin & Yang 2015: text-fig. p. 335), PE 1641348/barcode 273000), China, Yunna, Menghai, Hei-lung-tan, 1800 m, syn. nov.

Notes — Chen (1982) referred to the gathering as a ‘holotype’, but did not specify a repository, for which reason any specimen from that gathering is a syntype. The specimen has been identified on the PE type sheets as O. obcordata in 1973. The shared characters include the caulescent habit with falcate leaves widest in the lower third of the leaf’s length, the ovate petals with erose margins (variable in the species from more club-shaped to broad-base oblong), the incised lip with downturned lateral lobes. The lip is not shown bilobed in the main figure, but the insert ( Fig. 10e insert: arrows) shows at least some flowers with the more typical indentation of the apical lobe. The indentation is variable in the species as shown on the type sheets of O. obcordata ( Fig. 10a, b ). In conclusion, O. menghaiensis is a synonym of O. obcordata .

Figures

Fig. 10 Oberonia obcordata. a. Drawing of flower from Griffith s.n. K 000974238; b. drawing of flower from Hooker f. & T. Thomson 112 (K 000974237); c. habit of Hooker f. & T.Thomson 112 K 000974237; d. illustration of O. delicata from Tsi & Chen (1994); e. Oberonia menghaiensis illustration from Chen (1982).