Cymbidium motuoense (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae), a new species from China: evidence from morphological and molecular data

Abstract

This study describes a new orchid species, Cymbidium motuoense, from Xizang, China based on morphological and molecular analyses. Several unique morphological features distinguish this new orchid from all other species of Cymbidium. Based on its morphology, this orchid is similar to C. tracyanum but differs in its yellow-green flower with dark purple-red spots on the veins, oblong-elliptic sepals, side lobes of the lip with reddish brown hairs along the veins and disc with three purple-red lamellae. Phylogenetic analyses based on plastid DNA (matK and rbcL) supported C. motuoense as a new species. However, the low support in nuclear ribosomal ITS tree provide the possibility that the new orchid may be a natural hybrid of C. tracyanum and C. iridioides or another closely related species.

DNA barcoding of Cymbidium by genome skimming: Call for next‐generation nuclear barcodes

“…However, these classifications are controversial in subgeneric delimitation and the number of species. In addition, some newly discovered species and subspecies are not included in the published classification system (Averyanov et al, 2018; Hu et al, 2021; Huang et al, 2017; Jiang et al, 2020; Lan et al, 2018; Peng et al, 2019; Zhang et al, 2018; Zhang et al, 2020; Zhou et al, 2020).…”

Advances and prospects of orchid research and industrialization

“…More than 10 new recorded genera or new genera with dozens of new species have been published with molecular evidence for their distinctiveness, including new genera Danxiaorchis [ 14 ], Hsenhsua [ 15 ], Shizhenia [ 16 ], and Yunorchis [ 17 ], the newly recorded genus Thaia [ 18 ] and genera with phylogenetic replacement, Cymbilabia and Mengzia [ 19 , 20 ]. Newly discovered species with support from a phylogenetic tree based on nuclear and plastid DNA markers were found in several genera including Bulbophyllum , Paphiopedilum , Gastrodia , Dendrobium , Liparis , and Cymbidium [ 21 – 27 ]. Although challenges still remain, there have been great strides in the use of molecular tools for the description of new taxa, and the rapid development of new markers can be expected to further expedite the process of orchid systematic studies.…”