Schoenorchis hungii

Description: — Herb miniature monopodial, branch and canopy epiphyte. Stem simple, suberect or ascending (3) 4 – 6 (7) cm long, leafy in apical two thirds, with internodes (1.8) 2 – 4 (4.5) mm, leafless in basal part, (2) 2.5 (3) mm in diameter, with few, flexuose whitish roots near the base. Leaves grassy green, finely rugose, sessile, very fleshy, spreading at a wide angle to stem, arching, subterete, adaxially grooved, (1.5) 2 – 3 (3.5) cm long, (1.8) 2 – 2.8 (3) mm in diameter, acute, slightly constricted near of articulation with leaf sheath; leaf sheaths equitant, rigid, verruculose, completely covering the stem. Inflorescence axillary, suberect or ascending raceme, rarely 1 – 2 branched panicle, (5) 5.5 – 6.5 (7) cm long, scape and rachis light grassy green; scape (2) 2.5 – 3.5 (4) cm long, more or less straight; rachis straight or somewhat arching, thin, slightly angled, (1) 2 – 3 (3.2) cm long, with many spirally arranged, subdense flowers, distant at (0.6) 1 (1.4) mm. Floral bracts relatively large, white, light green along median rib, rhomboid, (1.8) 2 – 2.5 (2.7) mm long, (1.7) 1.8 – 2 (2.2) mm wide, shortly fimbriate along the margin, cuspidate, with prominently attenuate apex. Pedicel and ovary light green, (1.2) 1.3 – 1.4 (1.5) mm long, about 0.4 – 0.5 mm in diameter, terete, glabrous. Flowers odorless, tubular, with recurved apical third of sepals and petals, (1.6) 1.8 – 2 (2.2) mm across; sepals white, median sepal with purple apex, lateral sepals with purple median longitudinal stripe; petals entirely bright purple, lip including spur snow-white, column green, anther cap and pollinia bright yellow. Sepals narrowly ovate, little concave, dorsally slightly carinate, blunt to roundish at apex, (1.5) 1.6 – 1.8 (1.9) mm long, 0.6 – 0.7 mm wide, lateral sepals slightly oblique. Petals oblong broadly lanceolate, rounded to blunt at apex, as long as median sepal, 0.3 – 0.4 mm wide, distally strongly recurved. Lip spurred, (2.6) 2.8 – 3 (3.2) mm long (from spur apex to the apex of median lobe), almost entire; median lobe very fleshy, narrowly obovate (when look from below), rhomboid (from side view), 1.4 – 1.6 mm long, 0.5 – 0.6 mm wide, round at apex, straight, forward directed; at the base with 2 massive fleshy lateral longitudinal rollers almost completely closing entrance to the spur. Spur shortly conoid, slightly upcurved, parallel to ovary, (1) 1.1 – 1.2 (1.3) mm long, about 0.5 mm wide, with no longitudinal septum or back-wall callus inside. Column stout, very short, 0.2 – 0.3 mm tall and wide, with no wings; rostellum very small, broad, forward directed; stigma obscurely triangular to roundish. Anther cap, hemispherical, 0.2 – 0.3 mm in diameter, with prominent triangular, obtuse, forward directed beak about 2 mm long. Pollinarium 1, with 2 pollinia, flat oblong stipe (tegula) and flat oblong narrowly ovate viscidium. Pollinium ovoid or globular, splitting into 2 unequal hemiovoid lobes. Fruit unknown. All measurements were taken on fresh floral parts, which become about 1 / 3 smaller after exsiccation in process of herbarium specimen preparation (Averyanov et al. 2019 e). Habitat, phenology and conservation status: — Miniature branch and canopy epiphyte on tall mossy trees. Evergreen broad-leaved submontane and montane forests at 1000 – 1800 m a. s. l. Rare. Flowers in April – May, October – November. Suggested IUCN Red List status – EN.