The Origin of New Natural hybrid, Goodyera × maximo-velutina (Orchidaceae) from Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract

We describe a new taxon of Goodyera (Orchidaceae), G. × maximo-velutina from Jeju Island. This taxon is presumed to be a natural hybrid between G. maximowicziana and G. velutina based on morphological characteristics, i.e., leaf margin, leaf venation, hairiness and color of floral bract, pedicel and ovary. We analyzed ITS of nuclear DNA and three noncoding regions of chloroplast DNA (trnH-psbA, trnS-trnG, trnL) for elucidating the hybrid origin of the new species, G. × maximo-velutina, and two putative parental species. The morphological characteristics and illustrations of the species based on the holotype and other specimens from natural populations are provided together with photographs of the habitat.

A new natural hybrid species of China native begonia revealed by morphological and molecular evidence

“…In general, natural hybrids share characters with their parents either in morphology or genetics. Morphological intermediacy is often used to identify hybrids in the wild (So and Lee 2017), but it could not distinguish which one is the father or mother of hybrid offspring. What is more, morphological plasticity could make recognition of natural hybridization difficult, and the hybrids may also exhibit novel characters or traits, or may be morphological cryptic, strongly resembling parental species (Mitchell and Holsinger 2017).…”

The absence of bumblebees on an oceanic island blurs the species boundary of two closely related orchids

“…While the specific pollinators of G. similis remain undisclosed across all locations, the apparently shorter floral tube of G. similis suggests that it is more likely to rely on other pollinators, even on the mainland. Moreover, considering the lack of bumblebees on the Izu Islands, reduced pollinator diversity decreasing interspecific competition and enabling niche expansion on oceanic islands (Olesen & Valido, 2003; Traveset et al ., 2016; Hiraiwa & Ushimaru, 2017), and the generally low postzygotic reproductive barriers in many orchids, including Goodyera species (Lee et al ., 2012; So & Lee, 2017; Suetsugu et al ., 2021a,b), island conditions likely facilitate natural hybridization between G. henryi and G. similis . Natural hybridization between these two species is, indeed, documented on Kozu Island (Suetsugu et al ., 2019a), although comprehensive investigations into the patterns and extents of hybridization are currently absent.…”