Description
Epiphytic herb. Roots terete, slender, pubescent, ca. 0.5‒1.0 mm
thick. Rhizome inconspicuous. Stem clustered, terete, narrowly
cylindric, thicker from base, 4‒7-leaved apically, covered by
close-fitting sheaths, 15‒25 cm long, 0.5‒1.2 cm thick. Leaves
lanceolate, acuminate, 5‒9 × 1.4‒2.0 cm. Inflorescences axillary,
pubescent, borne on near the apical of the stem, 3.0‒5.5 cm long, 2
flowered; peduncle 1.3‒1.8 cm long; floral bracts yellowish green to
reddish brown, fleshy, ovate-oblong,
mucronate, concave, sparsely
brown tomentose both surface, ca. 1.5 × 0.9 mm. Flowers white, sepal
externally with brown tomentum, lip mid-lobe and calli
orange to pink, long hairs yellow
to white; peduncle and ovary ca. 1.5‒1.8 cm long, densely brown
tomentum. Dorsal sepal oblong-lanceolate, subacute, 5 lateral sepals,
ca. 1.7 × 0.5 cm; lateral sepals
falcate-ovate, 5 veined, ca 1.4 × 0.8 cm, base oblique, abruptly
contracted above middle, apex
mucronate, mentum subglobose and obtuse; petals lanceolate, slightly
oblique, acute, 3 veined, ca 1.7
× 0.8 cm; labellum obovate in outline, curved, ca. 0.6 × 0.5 cm,
3-lobed; lateral lobes suberect, oblong, ca. 0.6 × 0.3 cm,
front
margin little glandular hairs gradually transition to densely long hairs
1-2 mm; mid-lobe small,
triangular-ovate, ca. 1.5 × 0.8
mm, apex mucronate; disk with 2
central calli and connected to a
keel toward mid-lobe, keel
densely long hairs, 3 rows of
long hairs from base of lip
extend to base of calli. Column semiterete, ca. 0.6 cm long, ventrally
narrow winged; foot U-bent, ca.1.0 cm. Anther cap hemispherical, ca. 2.0
× 1.6 mm; pollinia 8, yellowish-white, compressed rectangular, posterior
4 smaller.
Phenology: Flowering from February to April.
Distribution and habitat: Cylindrolobus gaoligongensisis currently known from the northern Gaoligong Mountain,
northwest Yunnan. It is a
predominantly epiphytic species
that grows on tree trunks in the subtropical evergreen seasonal
rainforest at elevations from 1100m to 1600m.
Etymology: The new species is named after its type locality,
Gaoligong Mountain.