Pankaj Ji, Beautifully captured and superb clarity as always. Regards, Aarti
On Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 4:26:55 PM UTC+5:30 Dr Pankaj Kumar wrote: > In 2011, while going through the proof of one of the books, "The wild > orchids of Hong Kong", I realised there was a mistake. There was a species, > *Crepidium > acuminatum* included in the book and it had two figures plus one plate. > To my surprise neither of those two plants on the figures and the plate (of > one plant) matched with the species I knew from Western Himalaya and Nepal. > However, one of the figures and the colour picture matched with another > species Crepidium purpureum, which I also knew from Himalaya. Having seen > the wild plants I was sure that one plant was Crepidium purpureum, but then > what was the other. Anyways, the book was published as it was. Few years > later I found an old plant collected in the wild in our living collection, > this was labelled as Malaxis allanii. I was surprised because this was > surely very distinct but in the same book it was merged under Crepidium > acuminatum. However, there was an issue. Many of these old living plants > were also brought from outside Hong Kong to study and compare with local > species. How to resolve this? The only way out was to find this plant which > was described as Malaxis allanii in 1976 based on a specimen collected in > the 1950s from a part of Hong Kong. So the search began and it started with > looking at old literature. In old notes from the 1970s I found an old map. > This map belonged to an old hiking trip in the 1990s which indicated > roughly the site of the species but also indicated that the person who > undertook the survey was unable to find the plants of *Malaxis allanii* > at the original site but found at another site. I had already looked into > the area and hence, started to think of visiting this particular stream. In > 2020, finally after doing a lot of map reading and consultation of old > literature, visited Kew to study the original specimens, I was able to find > this particular subpopulation along with 2 more subpopulations of the > species in the same stream, that too in flowering. I was able to confirm > that this plant was indeed the same as the plants in our living collection. > However, in my head I wanted to find out the type locality of this species. > Hence, I continued my search and in 2021 I found another subpopulation of > the species, but in the same stream. My search went on and after a > difficult hike in April 2022, I finally found the species in its type > locality. How can I say it is the type locality? Because in the 1950s the > area was not well developed and hence, if someone wants to hike, he will > start with the main stream in the centre. My mistake was, I never went into > the main stream, maybe because this was very difficult and risky. At two > points, I almost lost my balance and slipped on loose gravel on the slopes > and also missed a snake bite which was sitting on the branches. But it was > a non-venomous indochinese rat snake.This plant was also in flower and it > matched with the plant at all other sites and with the plants in our living > collection. Even during my first trip in 2020, I carried ropes and > carabineers because it was steep slope and it was raining. Infact I had to > use the ropes to pull a few of my friends who accompanied me on this > difficult trip. Bottom line is, this was indeed a distinct species seen > only after 1950s at its type locality, and hence it needed to be > resurrected. The article was finally published in 2022 and we call this > plant as *, Crepidium allanii (S.Y.Hu <http://S.Y.Hu> & Barretto) Kumar & > S.W.Gale*. Please find a photograph attached. > > FOR FURTHER READING: Kumar, P., J. Li & S.W.Gale. 2022. Integrative > analyses of *Crepidium *(Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Malaxideae) shed > more light on its relationships with *Dienia*, *Liparis *and *Malaxis *and > justify reinstatement of narrow endemic *C. allanii*. *Botanical Journal > of Linnean Society *198 (3): 285–305; > https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boab048 > > [image: Crepidium allanii.jpg] > > > -- > > *Pankaj Kumar* MSc, PhD, FLS > > *IUCN-SSC Orchid Specialist Group Asia* > > Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong S.A.R., P.R. China > > *email*: sahani...@gmail.com; pku...@kfbg.org > *Phone*: +852 9436 6251 (mobile) > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "eFloraofIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to indiantreepix+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/indiantreepix/4d19d2b3-42d7-4979-b967-ca70d3f7e779n%40googlegroups.com.
