December 2014 TheJournal of Japanese Botany Vol. 89 No. 6 409

J. Jpn. Bot. 89: 409–411 (2014)

Sanjeev Kumal Raia,b,c, Jyoti Prasad GajuRelb,c, Krishna Kumar ShReSthab, Christoph ScheideGGeRc and Lokesh Ratna Shakyad,*: Risleya (Orchidaceae), a New Record for Flora of Nepal

aDepartment of Plant Resources, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, NEPAL;bCentral Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, NEPAL;cSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Zurich, SWITZERLAND;dDepartment of Botany, Amrit Science Campus, Tribhuvan University, Thamel, Kathmandu, NEPAL*Corresponding author: nibeshshak@gmail.com

Summary: Risleya King & Pantling is reported for the Flora of Nepal as a new record of the genus in Orchidaceae.

The genus Risleya King & Pantling is a monotypic genus described from Sikkim (King and Pantling 1898). Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantling is recorded from Sikkim, China, and Myanmar (Pearce and Cribb 2002), but the genus has not been recorded from Nepal (Hara et al. 1978, Banerji and Pradhan 1984, Press et al. 2000, Rajbhandari and Dahal 2004, 2010, Rokaya et al. 2013). It is distributed from 2900–3700 m from SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW Yunnan and at 3500 to 4500 m from Bhutan and India (Sikkim) (Chen et al. 2009, Pearce et al. 2002).

During our study of species diversity in forests (Scheidegger et al. 2010), a mycotrophic orchid species was recorded from a locality nearby Sarkaripati, Solukhumbu district at an altitude of 3400 m. The orchid was found on the ground covered with moss and litter. The dominant tree species of the forest were Rhododendron arboreum and Abies spectabilis. Other associated species were Rubus nepalensis, Pleione praecox, Dichrocephala integrifolia, Gaultheria nummularioides, etc. The ground was humus rich and moist at the time of collection of the specimen.

On critical examination, it is identified as Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantling.

The species can readily be identified from its mycotrophic habit and deep blackish-purple flowers. This is a new record for Nepal, not only for the species, but also for the genus.

Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantling in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 8: 247, t. 328 (1898); Pearce & Cribb, Orchids of Bhutan: 235 (2002); Chen, Gale & Cribb in Wu & Raven, Fl. China 25: 245 (2009); Zang in Wu & Raven, Fl. China Illust. 25: t. 320 f. 1 & 2 (2010). Type: INDIA. Sikkim Himalaya, 13,000 ft., 1896, R. Pantling 451 (CAL, GH). [Fig. 1]

Plants 6–22 cm tall; rhizome pubescent. Stem glabrous, dark purple, with basal sheaths; sheaths 2, tubular. Inflorescence rachis 4–7 cm, densely flowered; floral bracts lanceolate, 1 mm. Flowers 1–2 mm across, blackish-purple; pedicel and ovary 1–1.5 mm, twisted. Sepals spreading, oblong, obtuse, 1.5 × 0.5 mm. Petals lanceolate, 0.8 × 0.4 mm. Lip adnate to column at base, broadly ovate, concave, slightly crenulate at base, 1.4–1.6 × 1.2 mm. Column 0.4 mm. Fruit ovoid, 3 × 2 mm.

Distribution: E. Nepal, India (Sikkim), Bhutan, China, Myanmar.

Flowering: June.Altitude: 3400 m.Specimens examined: E NEPAL. Sagar-

matha zone, Solukhumbu district, Taksindu to Sarkaripati, 3400 m, 27 June 2012, S. K. Rai, J. P. Gajurel, S. Devkota, Bibas Rai & Bhim Rai

410 植物研究雑誌　第 89巻　第 6号 2014年 12月

Fig. 2. Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantling (E NEPAL. Sagarmatha zone, Solukhumbu district, Taksindu to Sarkaripati, 27 June 2012, S. K. Rai & al. 19446, KATH005122).

Fig. 1. Type specimen of Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantling (INDIA. Sikkim Himalaya, 13,000 ft., 1896, R. Pantling 451, GH; from Harvard University Herbaria Database).

19446 (KATH005122, TUCH; Figs. 2–3).

We are grateful to the CDB-WSL Project and the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant JRP IZ70Z0_131338/1 to Christoph Scheidegger), Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Nepal for providing the fund and logistics to the field trip. Thanks are also due to Dr. Michael Nobis and Mr. Shiva Devkota of WSL and Bern University, Switzerland, Dr. Khem Raj Bhattarai, Chief, National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories, Godavari, Nepal (KATH), and the staff of KATH and Wilderplaces Treks, Kathmandu, for their cooperation.

ReferencesBanerji M. L. and Pradhan P. 1984. The Orchids of Nepal

Himalaya. J. Cramer, Vanduz.Chen X. Q., Gale S. W. and Cribb P. J. 2009. Risleya King

& Pantling. In: Wu Z.-Y and Raven P. H. (eds.), Flora of China 25: 245. Science Press, Beijing and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Hara H., Stern W. T. and Williams L. H. J. (eds.) 1978. An Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Vol. 1. British Museum (Natural History), London.

King G. and Pantling R. 1898. The Orchids of Sikkim-Himalaya. Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 8: 246–247, t. 328.

Pearce N. and Cribb P. 2002. The Orchids of Bhutan, Vol. 3(3). Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu.

Press J. R., Shrestha K. K. and Sutton D. A. 2000. Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal. The Natural History Museum, London.

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Rajbhandari K. R. and Dahal S. 2004. Orchids of Nepal: a Checklist. Botanica Orientalis 4: 89–106.

Rajbhandari K. R. and Dahal S. 2010. Orchidaceae. In: Rajbhandari K. R. and Baral S. R. (eds.), Catalogue of Nepalese Flowering Plants I. Gymnosperms and Monocotyledons. Department of Plant Resources, Kathmandu.

Rokaya M. B., Raskoti B. B., Timsina B. and Münzbergová Z. 2013. An annonated checklist of the orchids of Nepal. Nord. J. Bot. 31: 511–550.

Scheidegger C., Nobis M. and Shrestha K. K. 2010. Biodiversity and livelihood in land-use gradient in an era of climate change – outline of a Nepal-Swiss Research Project. Botanica Orientalis 7: 7–17.

Fig. 3. Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantling. A. Habit. B. Close-up view. C. Fruiting stage.

S. K. Raia,b,c， J. P. Gajurelb,c，K. K. Shresthab，C. Scheideggerc，L. R. Shakyad：ネパール新産の Risleya属（ラン科）　ネパールからラン科の Risleya atropurpurea King & Pantlingを初めて報告した．これは属としても初めての報告となる．本種はこれまでシッキム，ブータン，中国，ミャンマーに知られていたが，今回，ネパール東部の Sagarmatha zone, Solukhumbu districtの 3400 mの地点で確認された．生育地はコケと落ち葉に被われた地表であった．

（aネパール・植物資源局，bネパール・Tribhuvan University,

Central Department of Botany，cスイス・Swiss Federal Institute for Forest,

Snow and Landscape Research，dネパール・Tribhuvan University, Department of Botany）