Neottia bifidus (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Neottieae), a new mycoheterotrophic species from Guizhou, China

Abstract

Neottia bifidus, a new mycoheterotrophic orchid, found in Maolan National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province, China, is described and illustrated here. The new species is close to N. nidus-avis, N. kiusiana and N. papilligera but differs in having a finely pubescent rachis with fewer flowers, a finely pubescent pedicel, and a fishtail-shaped lip that is deeply bilobed to the middle of the lip, with the lobes diverging at an acute angle (45°) to each other and mesochile with many papillae. Additionally, N. bifidus is well supported as a new species by molecular phylogenetic results based on ITS and chloroplast genome. The chloroplast genome of the novelty, which contains an LSC region of 33,819 bp, SSC region of 5,312 bp and IRs of 46,762 bp was assembled and annotated. A key to mycoheterotrophic Neottia species in China is also provided.