昌宁兰 chang ning lan

Cymbidium lowianum (H. G. Reichenbach) H. G. Reichenbach var. changningense X. M. Xu.

Plants epiphytic or lithophytic, autotrophic. Pseudobulbs narrowly ovoid, 6-8 × 3-4 cm, bilaterally flattened. Leaves 10-13, distichous, lorate, 52-75 × 1.2-1.7 cm, articulate 6-9 cm from base, apex obliquely bilobed. Inflorescence arising from leaf axils, arching, 35-41 cm; peduncle with 3-5 sheaths 4-11 cm; rachis 16-21 cm, 3-7-flowered; floral bracts triangular, 4-6 × 4-5 mm. Flowers scented, 10-11 cm in diam.; pedicel and ovary 45-55 mm, yellowish green; sepals and petals pale green-yellow or cream-yellow, with purplish red venation or occasionally tinged purplish red; lip yellowish white, with minute purplish red spots and dashes at base and a purplish red patch near apical margins of lateral lobes, and with a purplish red, V-shaped patch and a narrow longitudinal line on mid-lobe; column yellowish white, with irregular purplish red spots and dashes on ventral surface. Sepals narrowly elliptic, 65-71 × 18-20 mm, margins slightly recurved, apex acute; lateral sepals slightly falcate. Petals falcate, narrowly oblong, 63-65 × 9-10 mm, apex acute; lip ovate, 50-55 mm, base fused to basal margins of column for ca. 6 mm, 3-lobed; lateral lobes 35-38 × 12-13 mm; mid-lobe subcordate-ovate, 19-20 × 17-19 mm, margin undulate; disk puberulent, with 2 lamellae; lamellae 13-14 mm, densely white pubescent. Column ca. 40 mm, winged. Fl. Feb-Mar.

● Trees at forest margins, shaded rocks; ca. 1700 m. W Yunnan (Changning).

This entity may be of hybrid origin. It is morphologically intermediate between Cymbidium lowianum and C. mastersii, both of which grow sympatrically in W Yunnan. Its flower color and shape show distinct similarities to the former, while the smaller flower size and habit are reminiscent of the latter. Further investigation is needed.

X. M. Xu published the name Cymbidium lowianum var. changningense one month earlier (J. S. China Agric. Univ. 26(3): 120. Jul 2005) than Z. J. Liu and S. C. Chen published C. changningense (Aug 2005). The latter authors published the name of a new species, not a new combination, because they made no reference to the varietal name. The two names have the same type (Z. J. Liu 2708).