Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. B, 41(2), pp. 69–89, May 22, 2015 An Orchid Checklist of Mt. Popa, Central Myanmar Nobuyuki Tanaka1, Tomohisa Yukawa2,*, Khin Myo Htwe3 and Jin Murata4 1 Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden, Godaisan 4200–6, Kochi 781–8125, Japan; Present address: Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science, Amakubo 4–1–1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–0005, Japan 2 Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science, Amakubo 4–1–1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–0005, Japan 3 Popa Mountain Park, Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division, Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region, Union of Myanmar 4 Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Hakusan 3–7–1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112–0001, Japan * E-mail: [email protected] (Received 20 February 2015; accepted 25 March 2015) Abstract As part of floristic inventory work of Myanmar, a preliminary orchid flora of Mt. Popa, central Myanmar, is provided. We herein record 102 taxa of orchids representing 42 genera from this region. Key words : checklist, Orchidaceae, Mt. Popa, Myanmar Introduction central Myanmar (Fig. 1). Working in the 1930s, Frederik Garrett Dickason was probably the first Myanmar (old Burma) is located south of the botanist to make collections on Mt. Popa (Tanaka Himalayan region and, with a land area of et al., 2006). Yin Yin Kyi reported on the vegeta- 676,500 km2 (approximately twice the size of Japan), spans tropical evergreen, mixed decidu- ous, savanna and alpine vegetation types (Tanaka, 2005). An updated checklist of the gym- nosperms and flowering plants of Myanmar has been published (Kress et al., 2003) based on pre- vious or preceding works by Lace (1912), Rod- ger (1922), Hundley and Chit (1961) and Hund- ley (1987), and with additional records accumulated from floras of neighbouring regions. However, no modern critical floristic surveys have been conducted in the country, and much remains to be learnt of its flora as well as of flo- ristic relations with neighbouring regions in Asia (Frodin 2001; Tanaka 2005, 2010). Located in Mandalay Division, Mt. Popa (20°56′N, 95°12′E) is an extinct volcano that, at an altitude of 1,518 m, stands topographically isolated within the dry zone lowland savannah of Fig. 1. Location of Mt. Popa in Myanmar. 70 Nobuyuki Tanaka et al. tion of Mt. Popa and later made a survey of the ENUMERATION OF TAXA crater’s vegetation from which she produced an enumeration of 221 vascular plant species (Kyi, 1. Acampe Lindl. 1992). However, she did not record any orchid species from Mt. Popa (Kyi and Moe, 1997). In 1.1. Acampe joiceyana (J.J.Sm.) Seidenf. in her article, she recognized four forest types, Nord. J. Bot. 22: 532 (2002). namely, dry forest, dry hill forest, dry upper Specimen examined: Western slope of Mt. mixed deciduous forest and Indaing forest, with Popa, 1200–1500 m alt., 30 March 2006, Khin grassland dominating at the summit. Myo Htwe 102 (spirit collection-MBK, TNS). Owing to its climatic and geological diversity, Life form: Epiphyte. Mt. Popa exhibits great plant diversity, and rich- Distribution: Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet- ness of vegetation has developed since the last nam. eruption about 320,000 years ago (Kyi, 1992). To Note: Tanaka et al. (2011) newly recorded this provide a comprehensive floristic inventory of species from Myanmar based on the specimen the area, a floristic survey in Popa Mountain Park cited above. was carried out by us with cooperation of the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division of the 1.2. Acampe aff. praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & Myanmar Forest Department. The result of the McCann in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 35: 495 inventory work of all flowering plants except for (1932). [Fig. 2-A] Orchidaceae has already been published (Tanaka Specimen examined: Inside of the crater, Mt. et al., 2006). Subsequent expeditions to Mt. Popa Popa, 1200–1500 m alt., 8 May 2005, Khin Myo focusing on the inventory of orchids documented Htwe 13 (spirit collection-MBK, TNS). fourteen species newly recorded from Myanmar Life form: Epiphyte. (Tanaka et al., 2011). Note: Our material matches well an Indian Thus far, seven expeditions to Popa Mountain plant in Wight (1852: tab. 1670) after which Park were conducted with specimens being col- Lindley (1853) described Acampe wightiana lected in both the dry and wet seasons. Sterile (Lindl.) Lindl. This name is widely accepted as a plants were planted in the nursery of Popa Moun- synonym of A. praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & tain Park Office, and spirit specimens were made McCann. The illustration associated with the pro- when they bloomed. Herbarium specimens were tologue of Epidendrum praemorsum, the basi- made in the Park’s Environmental Education onym of A. praemorsa, in Roxburgh (1795: tab. Centre. The first set was retained there, while 43) is also similar to our material but the spur of duplicates were sent to three Japanese institu- the lip is scarcely developed. Some contempo- tions, namely the Makino Botanical Garden rary illustrations of A. praemorsa based on (MBK), the University of Tokyo (TI), and the Indian plants also have a saccate, rather than National Museum of Nature and Science (TNS) spurred lip (e. g., Rao, 1998; Misra, 2004). for identification. Besides, our material is also similar to material As the result of our identification, a checklist from tropical and subtropical Africa, although of orchids of this region is provided in which 103 the shapes of spur, mid lobe of the lip, and lateral taxa belonging to 42 genera are recorded. Scien- lobes of the lip vary in the figures that were con- tific names are arranged alphabetically. Myanmar sulted (Verdoorn, 1954; Cribb, 1989; Geerinck, vernacular names for each species followed 1992; Linder and Kurzweil, 1999). Currently, A. Hundley (1987). Additional notes are provided pachyglossa Rchb. f. is the most widely accepted for certain taxa as appropriate. name for the African plants (e. g., Cribb, 1989). The plants from Mt. Popa are unusual in their flower colour, the well-developed spur and the Orchid Checklist of Mt. Popa, Myanmar 71 Fig. 2. A. Acampe aff. praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & McCann. B. Armodorum siamense Schltr. C. Calanthe tripli- cata (Willem.) Ames. D. Cheirostylis spathulata J.J. Sm. (Photo A by K.M. Htwe; B by Y. Tsujita; C by S. Watthana; D by S. Gale) shape of lateral lobes of the lip. The flower omy of this complex. shows pale green with dark red-purple spots on the tepals and white with dark red-purple mark- 2. Aerides Lour. ings on the lip. Further comparative studies using Indian and African specimens are indispensable 2.1. Aerides crassifolia C.S.P.Parish ex Burb. to reach satisfactory conclusions on the taxon- in The Garden 3: 461 (1873). 72 Nobuyuki Tanaka et al. Specimens examined: In the crater of Mt. from Mandalay Region, central Myanmar. Popa, 1200–1500 m alt., 8 May 2005, Khin Myo Htwe 14 (spirit collection-TNS); cult. in the nurs- 5. Armodorum Breda ery of Popa Mountain Park Office, 1 June 2006, Tanaka et al. 036165 (MBK). 5.1. Armodorum siamense Schltr. in Orchis 6: Life form: Epiphyte. 67 (1912). [Fig. 2-B] Distribution: India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Specimen examined: Mt. Popa, 10 May 2006, and Vietnam. Khin Myo Htwe 108 (spirit collection-MBK, Local name: Sagalay-ani. TNS). Life form: Epiphyte. 2.2. Aerides falcata Lindl. & Paxton in Paxton’s Distribution: Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet- Fl. Gard. 2: 142 (1851). nam. Specimen examined: Inside of the crater of Note: Tanaka et al. (2011) newly reported this Mt. Popa, 1200–1500 m alt., Khin Myo Htwe 33 species from Myanmar. (spirit collection-TNS). Life form: Epiphyte. 6. Bletilla Rchb.f. Distribution: India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. 6.1. Bletilla sp. Local name: Sagalay-ahpyu. Specimen examined: Near Taung Kalat, ca. 600 m alt., 13 August 2011, Y. Dong et al. MY 524 (herbarium specimen deposited in the Cen- 3. Apostasia Blume tral Forestry Development Training Center). 3.1. Apostasia cf. wallichii R.Br. in N.Wallich, Life form: Terrestrial. Pl. Asiat. Rar. 1: 75 (1830). Note: Three species of the genus Bletilla, i. e., Specimen examined: East side of Mt. Popa, 12 B. chartacea (King & Pantl.) Tang & F.T.Wang, December 2003, Khin Myo Htwe 030019 (MBK). B. foliosa (King & Pantl.) Tang & F.T.Wang, and Life form: Terrestrial. B. formosana (Hayata) Schltr., have been recorded Note: We examined sterile specimens only. from Myanmar (Kurzweil and Lwin, 2014). The Results of molecular identification showed that it material, however, does not agree with any of differed from Apostasia wallichii (Yukawa et al., these species. 2009). Further study is required to clarify its identity. 7. Bulbophyllum Thouars 7.1. Bulbophyllum picturatum (Lodd.) Rchb.f. 4. Arachnis Blume in Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 262 (1861). 4.1. Arachnis labrosa (Lindl. & Paxton) Specimen examined: Mt. Popa, 25 March 2007, Rchb.f. in Bot. Centralbl. 28: 343 (1886). Khin Myo Htwe 133 (spirit collection-TNS). Specimen examined: Mt. Popa, cult. in the Life form: Epiphyte. nursery of Popa Mountain Park Office, 1 June Distribution: India, China, Myanmar, Thai- 2006, Tanaka et al. 036150 (MBK). land, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Life form: Epiphyte. Distribution: Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Viet- 7.2. Bulbophyllum polyrrhizum Lindl., Gen. nam, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 53 (1830). Note: This species has been recorded from Specimen examined: Mt. Popa, 21 March Mon State and Taninthayi Region in Myanmar 2006, Khin Myo Htwe 98 (spirit collection -MBK, (Kress et al., 2003) and is here newly recorded TNS). Orchid Checklist of Mt. Popa, Myanmar 73 Life form: Epiphyte. circular forest road, 2 March 2006, Tetsuo Ohi- Distribution: India, Nepal, China, Myanmar, Toma 035000 (MBK)． and Thailand.