Cynorkis mangabensis Hermans & P.J.Cribb, Kew Bull. 72(3)-38: 17 (2017).
Description:
Epiphytic herb, up to 48 cm tall including the inflorescence. Tubers unknown, roots, wiry, woolly, c. 1.5 mm in diam. Stem short, merging into the leafpetiole, c. 30 mm long, 3 - 4 mm in diam., with a single leaf. Leaf oblong, acuminate at the tip, narrowed into a 3 - 4 cm petiole at the base, 15 - 17 cm long, 4 - 4.5 cm wide. Inflorescence emerging from the base of the leaf, with a few short hairs towards the rachis, up to 47 cm long, 3 - 4 mm in diam., with a short long peduncle sheath towards the base, c. 45 x 2 - 3 mm, with 2 - 3 shorter sheaths along the stem, c. 20x3 mm; rachis 6 - 7 cm, up to 9-flowered; floral bracts acuminate, apiculate at the apex 6 - 7 mm long, 2.1 - 3.0 mm wide; pedicel and ovary hirsute-glandular, slightly curved, 15 - 17 mm long, 1.8 - 2.1 mm wide. Flowers overall c. 20 mm long, 18 mm wide, white, exterior of the sepals hirsute-glandular. Dorsal sepal ovate-lanceolate, forming a hood with the petals, concave, 12 - 13 mm long, 3 - 4 mm wide; lateral sepals, obovate-oblong 11.2 - 11.5 mm long, 5.5 - 5.8 mm wide. Petals asymmetric with the anterior border expanded into a rounded lobe, 14 - 15 mm long, 4 - 5 mm wide. Lip entire, oblong, angular, 14 - 15 mm long, 10.3 - 10.5 mm wide, the margins undulate; spur broad at the base then subulate, curved upwards towards the apex, hirsute underneath the base, c. 9 mm long, 1.2 mm in diam. in the middle. Column short, in one plane, c. 3.5 mm long 3 mm wide, with two short rostellum arms, staminodes rounded, anther loculi ovate-elongate.
Etymology:
The species name refers to the type locality of the Mangabe forest.
Habitat:
Epiphyte in rainforest with high precipitation rates.
Notes:
The new species is typified by its long inflorescence, medium-sized white flowers with an entire lip. It is an epiphyte similar to Cynorkis muscicola Bosser (1969: 346), in section Imerinorchis, in the length of its inflorescence and entire lip but its flowers are twice as large and the lip is oblong and angular rather than linguiform. C. muscicola was found at high altitude in South-Central Madagascar, the new species comes from wet forest in the North-East.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Distribution:
Only known from the type locality in Mangabe forest in northern Madagascar.
References:
New species and nomenclatural changes in Cynorkis (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae) from Madagascar and the Mascarenes, KEW BULLETIN (2017) 72: 38
