Pleione 18(2): 271 - 277. 2024.

ISSN: 0973-9467
© East Himalayan Society for Spermatophyte Taxonomy
doi:10.26679/Pleione.18.2.2024.271-277

Liparis barbata Lindl. (Orchidaceae) - a new addition for the

flora of Assam, India
Khyanjeet Gogoi
Regional Orchids Germplasm Conservation & Propagation Centre; The Orchid Society of Eastern Himalaya
(TOSEHIM), Daisa Bordoloi Nagar, Talap, Tinsukia, Assam, India
E-mail ID: [email protected]
[Received 31.07.2024; Revised 16.08.2024; Accepted 19.08.2024; Published 31.08.2024]
Abstract
A little-known terrestrial orchid viz. Liparis barbata Lindl. (Orchidaceae) is described and illustrated
with detailed photos and line drawings. It has been reported for the first time from Assam as a new
distributional record for the state. A key to all species of Liparis known to grow in the state is also
provided.
Key words: Taxonomy, Orchidaceae, Liparis, Assam

INTRODUCTION
During a field trip to the bamboo plantation area of Santipur, Sadiya, Tinsukia district of
Assam on 10 July, 2024, the author collected a terrestrial orchid in flowering condition. The
orchid was planted and brought under observation at the Regional Orchids Germplasm
Conservation and Propagation Centre (Assam Circle), Assam. Based on available literature
(King & Pantling 1898; Pradhan 1979; Chowdhery 1998; Pearce & Cribb 2002; Lucksom
2007; Chen et al. 2009; Lok et al. 2010; Rao 2010, 2918; Hegde 2017; Gogoi 2019, 2018; Misra
2019; Singh et al. 2019; Tetsana et al. 2019) and critical examination of the flowers, it was
identified as Liparis barbata Lindl., which is known so far from India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
In India Liparis barbata was reported for the first time as an addition to the country’s
flora from Arunachal Pradesh under the name Liparis wrayii Hook.f. (Joseph & Abbareddy
1980). Subsequently, it was reported from Kerala as a new species viz. Liparis indiraii (Manilal
& Kumar 1984) which has been reduced to a synonym of L. wrayii (Rao 1987). Thus, Liparis
barbata is reported in India so far from Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala only. Hence, the
present report of its occurrence from the Tinsukia district forms a new distributional record
for Assam.
The genus Liparis was described by L.C. Richard in 1817 (Chen et al. 2009; Gogoi 2019,
2018) and is characterized by terrestrial, lithophytic, or epiphytic, rhizomatous, rarely mycotrophic
plants. Stems pseudobulbous, sometimes appear as many-noded, fleshy, clustered or not, when
young and covered by sterile bracts. Leaves 1 to several, linear to ovate or elliptic, plicate or
not, thinly textured to leathery, basal or cauline, or arising from apex or sub terminal nodes of
pseudobulbs, articulate or not at base. Inflorescences erect to pendulous, racemose, laxly or
densely many flowered. Flowers small or medium-sized, yellow, green, orange, or purple,
often translucent, usually resupinate. Sepals spreading, dorsal sepal free, lateral sepals sometimes
fused for part or all of their length. Petals free, often reflexed, often linear and unlike sepals; lip
often reflexed, ovate, oblong, or flabellate, entire or lobed, usually with a basal callus, lacking a
spur. Column incurved-arcuate, clavate, long, winged at apex and sometimes at base; anther
cap attached by a slender filament, 2-locular; pollinia 4 in 2 pairs. According to Govaerts et al.
(2024), 441 species of the genus is distributed with center in tropical Asia, New Guinea, Australia,
SW Pacific islands, and the subtropical and tropical Americas, with a single species in Europe
272 Liparis barbata - an addition to Assam flora

PLATE – I. Liparis barbata Lindl.: A. plant in natural habitat; B. inflorescence close-up; C.

habit D. inflorescence; E & F. flower; G. perigone; H & I. lip- ventral and dorsal views; J.
pedicel, ovary and column; K. column. [Photo by Khyanjeet Gogoi]
TAXONOMIC TREATMENT
Liparis barbata Lindl. in Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 27. 1830; Empusa barbata (Lindl.) T.C.Hsu in Ill.
Fl. Taiwan 2: 14. 2018; Leptorkis barbata (Lindl.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 671. 1891; Liparis
thwaitesii Hook.f. in Hooker’s Icon. Pl. 21: t. 2006. 1890; Liparis indirae (‘indiraii’) Manilal & C.S.
Kumar in Pl. Syst. Evol. 145: 155. 1984; Liparis wrayi Hook.f. in Fl. Brit. India 6: 181. 1890.
[PLATES – I & II]
 Khyanjeet Gogoi 273
and two in North America (Chen et al. 2009); In India, this genus is represented by 55 species
(Misra 2019) of which 16 species viz. L. assamica King & Pantl.; L. bootanensis Griff.; L. cespitosa
(Lamk.) Lindl.; L. deflexa Hook.f.; L. delicatula Hook.f.; L. distans C.B.Clarke.; L. elliptica Wight;
L. luteola Lindl.; L. mannii Rchb.f.; L. nervosa (Thunb.) Lindl.; L. odorata (Willd.) Lindl.; L. petiolata
(D.Don) P.F.Hunt & Summerh.; L. plantaginea Lindl.; L. resupinata Ridl.; L. stricklandiana Rchb.f.;
L. vestita Rchb.f. and L. viridiflora (Blume) Lindl. are found in Assam (Gogoi 2018, 2019;
Barbhuiya et al. 2021). With the present collection of Liparis barbata the total number of species
of the genus increases to 17 in Assam.
A detailed description, illustration and information on the habitat have been provided in
the present manuscript to facilitate the field botanists to locate it in other parts of the N.E.
Indian region. The voucher specimen has been deposited at the TOSEHIM Herbarium, The
Orchid Society of Eastern Himalaya, Regional Orchid Germplasm Conservation and
Propagation Centre (Assam Circle), Assam.
Type: SRI LANKA. Without locality, 1829, Macrae s.n. (holotype K-Lindley).
Plant terrestrial with rhizomatous pseudobulbs. Pseudobulbs 4.5 – 9.5 × 0.8 – 1.2 cm
erect, terete. Leaves 2 – 3, rarely 4, alternate, non-articulate, plicate; petiole 2.5 – 3 cm long, sheath
like; lamina 6.5 – 8 × 3 – 3.5 cm, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, acute or obtuse, membranous or
herbaceous, 4- to 6-veined, with flat or undulate margins. Inflorescence 4.5 – 10 cm long, erect,
lax, 8- to 16-flowered; peduncle 2 – 5 cm long, stout, angular-terete, slightly winged; rachis 2.5 –
5.5 cm long, angular-terete, slightly winged; floral bracts 0.2 – 0.3 cm long, reflexed, broadly
ovate-triangular. Flowers yellowish-green, resupinate. Sepals recurved; dorsal sepal 0.7 – 0.8 ×
0.2 – 0.3 cm, lanceolate-oblong, acute; lateral sepals 0.5 – 0.6 × 0.2 – 0.3 cm, obliquely elliptic,
subacute. Petals 0.6 – 0.7 × 0.08 – 0.1 cm, linear, obtuse, with revolute margins. Lip 0.5 – 0.7 ×
0.4 – 0.5 cm, uniformly yellowish-green, suberect, recurved, obovate, emarginate, shortly fimbriate,
with 2 calli near base, slightly widened toward apex, subtruncate and emarginate. Column 0.4 cm
long, whitish-green, slender, incurved, front margins of the distal part developed into rounded
keels; anther yellowish-white. Ovary 0.7 – 1.0 cm, long light green. Capsules clavate-terete.
Specimen Examined: India, Assam, Tinsukia, Sadiya, Santipur, Gogoi 001162, dated 10.07.2024
(TOSEHIM).
Flowers & fruits: July – August
Distribution: India (Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala and now in Assam), Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. (Singh et al. 2019).
Habitat: This orchid was collected by the author, from Santipur village, Sadiya, Tinsukia,
Assam at an elevation about 123 m. It grows in shaded places of bamboo plantations; about
50 individuals have been spotted in the habitat.
Present Availability Status: Rare in Assam; the species was found only in one locality in a
bamboo plantation. Regular human pressure for bamboo collection from the habitat may
threaten the species in the near future.
Key to the species of Liparis from Assam
1a. Plants usually terrestrial ……………………………………..........…… 2
1b. Plants usually epiphytic, epilithic or lithophytic .............................................. 6
2a. Leaves 2 ………………………………………………….....……… 3
2b. Leaves more than 2 ………………………………………..…...…… 4
3a. Lip apex of triangular acute ……………………….……..…...….. L. petiolata
274 Liparis barbata - an addition to Assam flora

PLATE – II. Liparis barbata Lindl.: A. habit; B. inflorescence; E & F. flower; G. perigone;
H & I. lip- ventral and dorsal views; J. pedicel, ovary and column; K. column. [Drawn by:
Khyanjeet Gogoi]
 Khyanjeet Gogoi 275
3b. Lip flabelliform ……………………………………………….… L. deflexa
4a. Lip rectangular-cuneate, apex deeply erose to pectinate .................... L. barbata
4b. Lip not as above, at most shallowly dentate ………………........…….. 5
5a. Plants with stemlike pseudobulbs (2–) 5–30 cm ………… .…… L. nervosa
5b. Plants with ovoid, globose, pseudobulbs shorter than 3.5 cm .......... L. odorata
6a. Plant epilithic; lip orbicular to flabellate, rounded ................................. L. plantaginea
6b. Plant epiphytic; lip not as above …………………………....……...… 7
7a. Pseudobulbs 1-leaved ………………………………....………...…… 8
7b. Pseudobulbs 2–5-leaved ………………………………...…...……… 10
8a. Lip strongly 3-lobed ...................................................................................... L. mannii
8b. Lip entire or apex bilobed ……………………………….....…...…… 9
9a. Flowers 0.15–0.2 cm across, sepals 1.5–1.8 mm .................................. L. cespitosa
9b. Flowers 0.6-0.9 cm across, sepals 5–8 mm ............................................ L. bootanensis
10a. Pseudobulbs 3–5-leaved ……………………………….........……… 11
10b. Pseudobulbs 2-leaved …………………………………….........…… 13
11a. Column with one pair of broad wings; lip-tip shortly calceolate ... L. resupinata
11b. Column with 2 pairs of wings; lip apex not calceolate ……......…....... 12
12a. Sepals 2.5–3.5 mm; lip blade transversely elliptic-suborbicular........ L. delicatula
12b. Sepals 4.5–5.8 mm; lip blade cuneate-obovate .................................... L. assamica
13a. Lip blade broadly obovate ........................................................................ L. distans
13b. Lip not as above …………………………….…………………… 14
14a. Pseudobulbs cylindric to narrowly conic-cylindric, longer than 5 cm.....L. viridiflora
14b. Pseudobulbs compressed globose, shorter than 5 cm ……….…...… 15
15a. Lip without a basal callus ........................................................................... L. elliptica
15b. Lip with basal callus or thickening ……………………….….....…… 16
16a. Lip with a medial longitudinal ridge, a bilobed callus in front of ridge... L. luteola
16b. Lip without a medial longitudinal ridge ……………………......…… 17
17a. Lip with a subbasal inconspicuous papillose callus ……….........… L.vestita
17b. Lip with a longitudinal oblate basal callus ………………….....… L. stricklandiana

Acknowledgements
The author was grateful to Dr Pankaj Kumar, Institute of Environment, Florida International
University & Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, Florida, USA for the help during the
identity of the species. He is also thankful to Dr. A.N. Rao for important inputs.
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