Tag:

Montane (1500-2500 m)

Araliaceae

Brassaiopsis mitis

by GP Jürgens

C.B.Clarke

Bhutan2015 583
Bhutan Gasa 2000m, October
Bhutan2015 590
Bhutan Gasa 2200m, October

Description

Brassaiopsis mitis is an East Himalayan small tree or large shrub of the ginseng family, GBIF holding only about 61 occurrences from India, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar. It inhabits humid, shaded broadleaved and evergreen montane forest, occurring along stream gullies, ravine slopes and forest margins generally between about 1500 and 2500 m. The individuals photographed from the Gasa district of northern Bhutan at 2000 and 2200 m, in October, are typical of its occurrence in cool, moist mid-montane forest of deep shade and high humidity, the autumn date corresponding to its fruiting season.

It is an evergreen shrub or small tree to several metres tall, the stems and petioles often prickly, as in many species of Brassaiopsis. The leaves are large, long-petiolate and palmately lobed or palmately compound, the lobes or leaflets entire to serrate, giving the crown a coarse, tropical aspect. The minute, greenish flowers are five-merous with an inferior ovary and are aggregated into umbels grouped into large terminal panicles. The fruit is a small, fleshy, more or less globose drupe crowned by the persistent stylopodium, ripening dark and containing a few flattened pyrenes.

Described by C. B. Clarke, B. mitis belongs to the predominantly Sino-Himalayan and Southeast Asian genus Brassaiopsis within Araliaceae, characterised by prickly, large-leaved understorey trees. With its few records and restricted East Himalayan range it is of regional biogeographic interest, dependent on intact mid-montane forest. Ecologically its umbellate inflorescences attract generalist insects, while its drupaceous fruit is dispersed by frugivorous birds and mammals of the forest interior.

Author: C.B.Clarke · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of China, Lowry & Frodin studies of Brassaiopsis (Araliaceae)

Orchideaceae

Bryobium eriaeoides

by GP Jürgens

(F.M.Bailey) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones

Bh2008 509 G780
Bhutan Chongsakha 2200m, May

Description

Bryobium eriaeoides is a small epiphytic orchid formerly placed in the genus Eria, transferred to Bryobium by Clements & Jones based on molecular phylogenetic evidence. The genus Bryobium comprises species previously assigned to Eria section Mycaranthes and allied sections. The species has a disjunct distribution spanning the eastern Himalayas (Bhutan, northeast India) to Southeast Asia and Australasia (Papua New Guinea, Queensland), occurring in montane cloud forests at elevations of 400–2,200 m.

The plant forms small, clustered pseudobulbs 1–3 cm tall on a creeping rhizome, each bearing 2–4 narrowly elliptic leaves 3–8 cm long. The inflorescence arises from the base of the pseudobulb, producing a short raceme of small, densely arranged flowers. Individual flowers are 4–6 mm across, white to pale cream, with a densely pubescent ovary and floral bracts. The lip is trilobed, the mid-lobe fleshy with low keels. Flowering in the Himalayas occurs from April to June.

The taxonomy of Bryobium and closely related genera remains in flux, as ongoing molecular studies continue to refine the classification of the large, polyphyletic former genus Eria. Like all orchids, the species is subject to CITES Appendix II trade regulations.

Author: (F.M.Bailey) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Clements & Jones: Nomenclatural changes in the Eriinae (2002), Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002)

Scrophulariaceae

Buddleja paniculata

by GP Jürgens

Wall.

Nepal 97 331 P656
Nepal Arun-Valley 1900m, May

Description

Buddleja paniculata is a shrubby butterfly-bush of the Himalaya and adjacent China, with GBIF occurrences across Nepal, northern India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and southwest China (further codes being cultivated and herbarium records). It favours open, sunny situations on dry slopes, river terraces, cliffs, roadsides and forest margins in the subtropical to warm-temperate zone, mostly between 1,000 and 2,800 m. The illustrated plant was photographed in the Arun Valley of eastern Nepal at about 1,900 m in May, where it flowers in the dry pre-monsoon season on stony, well-drained ground.

The plant is an erect, much-branched shrub 1-3 m tall with quadrangular, stellate-tomentose young branches. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, with a green, somewhat rugose upper surface and a paler, densely stellate-hairy underside, and crenate-serrate margins. The flowers are small and fragrant, crowded into slender, often nodding panicles of cymose clusters; the corolla is tubular with four short lobes, white to pale lilac with an orange or yellow throat, and the calyx is densely tomentose. The fruit is a small, two-valved septicidal capsule releasing numerous minute, narrowly winged seeds dispersed by wind.

The genus Buddleja, formerly placed in its own family Buddlejaceae or in Loganiaceae, is now treated within an enlarged Scrophulariaceae. Buddleja paniculata is among the more cold-tolerant Asian species and an important early-season nectar source for butterflies and other insects. It is widespread, often colonising disturbed and degraded ground, and is not of conservation concern; some forms are grown ornamentally for their scented winter-to-spring bloom.

Author: Wall. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 19 (Buddlejaceae), Flora of Nepal, Leeuwenberg: The Loganiaceae of Africa – Buddleja revision works

Orchideaceae

Bulbophyllum affine

by GP Jürgens

Lindl.

Bh09 392 G619
Bhutan Mo-Chu, 1500m June

Description

Bulbophyllum affine is an epiphytic orchid widely distributed across East and Southeast Asia, from Nepal and northeast India (Sikkim, Assam) through Bhutan, Myanmar, and southern China to Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. It inhabits humid broadleaved and mixed forests at 500–2,500 m elevation, growing on mossy trunks and branches, occasionally on rocks (lithophytic).

The plant produces ovoid to conical pseudobulbs 2–4 cm tall, set 3–8 cm apart on a stout, creeping rhizome. Each pseudobulb bears a single, leathery, elliptic to oblong leaf 8–15 cm long. The inflorescence is a nodding, densely many-flowered raceme 5–15 cm long, emerging from the base of the pseudobulb. The flowers are small, 5–8 mm across, yellowish-green to pale brown, densely arranged in a cylindrical spike. Sepals are lanceolate and acuminate; the lip is small, fleshy, and recurved, mobile on a thin strap connecting it to the column foot — a characteristic feature of Bulbophyllum enabling pollination by small flies.

Bulbophyllum is the largest genus in the Orchidaceae, comprising over 2,200 described species. B. affine belongs to section Cirrhopetalum and is distinguished from similar congeners by its densely flowered, cylindrical raceme and the prominent column stelidia.

Author: Lindl. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Bhutan Vol. 3, GBIF, Seidenfaden: Orchid Genera in Thailand XIV: Bulbophyllum (1979)

Orchideaceae

Bulbophyllum griffithii

by GP Jürgens

Rchb.f.

Bhutan2012 444
Bhutan Wangdi 2500m, September
Bhutan2012 1171 Kopie
Bhutan Tashiyangtse 2000m, October

Description

Bulbophyllum griffithii is an epiphytic orchid distributed from the eastern Himalayas (Nepal, northeast India, Bhutan) through southwest China (Yunnan) to Taiwan. The species is named after William Griffith (1810–1845), the pioneering British botanist who collected extensively in Bhutan and northeast India. It occurs in cool, humid montane forests at elevations of 1,500–2,800 m, favouring mossy tree trunks in the cloud forest zone.

The pseudobulbs are ovoid to subglobose, 1.5–3 cm tall, widely spaced on a stout rhizome. Each bears a single, coriaceous, oblong-elliptic leaf 8–15 cm long. The inflorescence is an umbel-like, subglobose cluster of 5–12 flowers, carried on a slender peduncle 10–20 cm tall — a floral arrangement typical of section Cirrhopetalum. The flowers are about 2 cm across, pale yellow to greenish with purple-red stripes and spots. The dorsal sepal is erect, the lateral sepals elongated and twisted, and the lip is small, curved, and dark purple. Flowering occurs from August to October.

Within the complex taxonomy of Bulbophyllum section Cirrhopetalum, B. griffithii is recognised by its umbellate inflorescence with relatively few, medium-sized flowers and its distinctive striped pattern. GBIF records confirm a limited distribution centred on the eastern Himalayas and East Asia.

Author: Rchb.f. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Bhutan Vol. 3, GBIF, Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002)

Orchideaceae

Bulbophyllum hirtum

by GP Jürgens

Lindl.

Bhutan2015 573
Bhutan Mo-Chu 1550m, October
Bhutan2015 574
Bhutan Mo-Chu 1550m, October

Description

Bulbophyllum hirtum is an epiphytic orchid distributed across the eastern Himalayas and Southeast Asia, from Nepal and northeast India through Bhutan, Myanmar, southwest China, Thailand, and Vietnam. It grows in warm to temperate broadleaved forests at 500–2,000 m elevation, on moss-covered tree trunks and larger branches, occasionally on rocks near streams.

The plant has ovoid, somewhat compressed pseudobulbs 1.5–2.5 cm tall, spaced 2–5 cm apart on a creeping rhizome. Each pseudobulb bears a single, elliptic-oblong, coriaceous leaf 6–12 cm long. The inflorescence is a lax raceme 5–15 cm long, carrying 5–15 flowers. The specific epithet 'hirtum' (meaning hairy) refers to the distinctive pubescence on the floral parts: the flowers are small, 6–10 mm across, yellowish to brownish-green with conspicuous fine hairs on the sepals and petals. The lip is fleshy, recurved, and densely papillose, dark purple, hinged to the column foot. Flowering occurs from September to November.

Bulbophyllum hirtum is classified within Bulbophyllum section Brachystachya. The pubescent flower surfaces are thought to play a role in pollinator attraction by enhancing both visual texture and scent dispersal, as the genus is predominantly pollinated by small flies (Diptera).

Author: Lindl. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Bhutan Vol. 3, GBIF, Vermeulen: Orchid Monographs 7: Bulbophyllum (1993)

Orchideaceae

Bulbophyllum muscicola

by GP Jürgens

Rchb.f.

Bhutan2015 56
Bhutan Wangdi Phodrang 2000m, October
Bhutan2012 341 1
Bhutan Dochu-La 3100m, September

Description

Bulbophyllum muscicola is a diminutive epiphytic orchid with a disjunct distribution from the eastern Himalayas (Nepal, northeast India, Bhutan) through Southeast Asia to New Guinea. The specific epithet 'muscicola' (moss-dweller) aptly describes its preferred microhabitat: the species grows embedded in moss mats on tree trunks and branches in cool, humid montane forests, typically at 1,200–3,100 m elevation.

This is one of the smallest Bulbophyllum species in the Himalayan flora. The pseudobulbs are minute, globose to ovoid, 3–8 mm tall, closely set on a threadlike, creeping rhizome. Each pseudobulb bears a single, fleshy, ovate leaf 1–3 cm long. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or a short, few-flowered raceme on a filiform peduncle 2–5 cm long. Flowers are tiny, 3–5 mm across, translucent yellow to orange, with the lateral sepals connate for most of their length. The lip is minute, fleshy, and mobile. Flowering occurs from September to November.

Due to its small size, B. muscicola is easily overlooked in the field and is probably under-recorded. Its occurrence at the Dochu-La pass in Bhutan at 3,100 m places it among the higher-altitude records for the genus in the eastern Himalayas.

Author: Rchb.f. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Bhutan Vol. 3, GBIF, Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002)

Orchideaceae

Bulbophyllum retusiusculum

by GP Jürgens

Rchb.f.

Bhutan2015 44
Bhutan Wangdi Phodrang 2000m, October
Bhutan2015 53
Bhutan Wangdi Phodrang 2000m, October

Description

Bulbophyllum retusiusculum is a widespread epiphytic orchid ranging from the eastern Himalayas (Nepal, northeast India, Bhutan) through Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. GBIF records document over 550 occurrences across this range. The species inhabits broadleaved and mixed forests at 800–2,500 m elevation, growing on tree trunks and branches in moderately humid conditions.

The pseudobulbs are narrowly ovoid to cylindrical, 1–2 cm tall, clustered on a short rhizome. Each bears a single, oblong-elliptic, leathery leaf 4–10 cm long with a slightly retuse (shallowly notched) apex — the feature reflected in the specific epithet 'retusiusculum'. The inflorescence is an erect to arching, densely many-flowered raceme 5–15 cm long. The flowers are minute, 3–4 mm across, arranged in a dense, cylindrical spike, typically pale yellowish-green to cream. The dorsal sepal is concave, the lateral sepals spreading, and the lip is small, fleshy, and recurved. Flowering occurs from September to November.

B. retusiusculum belongs to Bulbophyllum section Brachystachya, characterised by densely flowered, spike-like racemes. The species shows moderate morphological variation across its extensive range, particularly in flower colour and pseudobulb spacing.

Author: Rchb.f. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of China Vol. 25, GBIF, Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002)

Orchideaceae

Bulbophyllum yoksunense

by GP Jürgens

J.J.Sm.

Bhutan2012 1178
Bhutan Tashiyangtse 2000m, October
Bhutan2012 1180
Bhutan Tashiyangtse 2000m, October
Bhutan2012 1181
Bhutan Tashiyangtse 2000m, October

Description

Bulbophyllum yoksunense is a rare epiphytic orchid with a restricted distribution in the eastern Himalayas. The species is named after Yuksom (also spelled Yoksum or Yoksun) in western Sikkim, India, where the type specimen was collected. Its known range includes Sikkim, Bhutan, eastern Nepal, and northern Myanmar. With only 17 documented occurrences in GBIF, it is among the less frequently recorded Bulbophyllum species in the region. It grows on mossy tree trunks in temperate broadleaved forests at 1,500–2,500 m elevation.

The pseudobulbs are ovoid, 1–2 cm tall, closely set on a creeping rhizome. Each bears a single, elliptic, coriaceous leaf 5–10 cm long. The inflorescence is a short, few-flowered raceme. Flowers are small, about 8–12 mm across, with distinctive coloration: the sepals are pale greenish-yellow with fine purple veining, and the lip is dark purple, fleshy, and slightly recurved. The lateral sepals are slightly longer than the dorsal sepal. Flowering in Bhutan occurs in October.

B. yoksunense is poorly known in cultivation and in the wild. Its apparent rarity may partly reflect under-collection in the remote eastern Himalayan forests of Bhutan and Sikkim. Further field survey is needed to clarify its true distribution and conservation status.

Author: J.J.Sm. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002), J.J. Smith: Orchidaceae Novae (1910)

Fabaceae

Butea buteiformis

by GP Jürgens

(Voigt) Grierson

Bhutan2014 146
Bhutan Trashigang 1900m, May
Nepal 2001 229 ergebnis ergebnis
Nepal (Gorkha) Tullikot 1750m, May

Description

Butea buteiformis is a small tree or scandent shrub of the subtropical and warm-temperate broad-leaved forests of the eastern and central Himalaya, ranging through Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, with some 220 georeferenced collections documenting a continuous arc along the southern Himalayan front. It occupies forest margins, ravines and secondary thickets, typically between about 1000 and 2200 m. The photographed plants were recorded at Trashigang in eastern Bhutan at 1900 m and at Tullikot in the Gorkha district of central Nepal at 1750 m, both flowering in May, a season coinciding with the pre-monsoon flush in these mid-montane belts.

The species is a deciduous, often climbing legume with twining or trailing branches and stout, lenticellate stems. The leaves are pinnately trifoliolate, the leaflets broadly ovate to rhombic, coriaceous, with the lateral pair distinctly oblique and a prominent reticulate venation; young growth is silky-pubescent. The inflorescences are dense axillary or terminal racemes bearing showy papilionaceous flowers; the calyx is campanulate and silky-tomentose, and the corolla is bright orange to scarlet, the standard recurved and the keel strongly curved, as is characteristic of bird-pollinated Butea. The fruit is a flattened, indehiscent, samaroid pod, thickened and seed-bearing toward the apex.

Butea is a small palaeotropical genus allied to Spatholobus and Meizotropis within the tribe Phaseoleae; B. buteiformis is distinguished from the lowland B. monosperma by its montane habit, smaller stature and more slender, often climbing form. The vivid ornithophilous flowers are visited by sunbirds and other nectarivores. Though not assessed as threatened and locally frequent, populations face forest clearance along accessible mid-elevation slopes.

Author: (Voigt) Grierson · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of Nepal, Legumes of the World (Lewis et al.)