Table Of ContentThe Japanese Society for Plant Systematics
ISSN 1346-7565 Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 67 (1): 61–66 (2016)
Oreorchis coreana (Orchidaceae), A New Addition to the Flora of Japan
MichihisA tAkAshiMA1,*, jun’ichi hAsegAwA2 And toMohisA yukAwA3
1 Tochigi Prefectural Museum, 2-2 Mutsumicho, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, 320-0865, Japan.
*[email protected] (author for correspondence); 2 767-2 Nakatomatsuricho, Utsunomiya, Tochigi,
320-0052, Japan; 3Tsukuba Botanical Garden, National Museum of Nature and Science, 1-1, Amakubo 4, Tsukuba,
Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan
Oreorchis coreana Finet, discovered in Nasushiobara-shi, Tochigi Prefecture, Honshu, is a new addition
to the flora of Japan. Until now, Oreorchis coreana was thought to be endemic to Jeju Island, Korea. This
finding is a remarkable case of disjunct distribution.
Key words: disjunct distribution, Japan, Korea, new record, Orchidaceae, Oreorchis coreana
Oreorchis Lindl. (Orchidaceae) comprises 16 somal DNA via the polymerase chain reaction
species extending from the Himalayas in the west (PCR) using the primer combination 17SE/26SE
to temperate eastern Asia and Japan in the east (Sun et al. 1994). Experimental methods follow
(Pearce & Cribb 1997). Until now, two species, those described in Topik et al. (2005) and Yuka-
O. patens (Lindl.) Lindl. and O. indica Hook. f., wa et al. (2005). Voucher specimens were depos-
have been known to be in Japan (Yukawa et al. ited at TNS.
2003).
In June 2008, an plant resembling Oreorchis Results and Discussion
patens was discovered in Nasushiobara-shi,
Tochigi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan (Figs. 1 & 2). Identification based on morphological charac-
The flowers were smaller than in O. patens and ters
color and structure of the flowers were also dis- Observation of morphological characters re-
tinct. We therefore used morphological and mac- vealed that our material coincided with Oreor-
romolecular characters to compare it with O. pat- chis coreana. We did not find any differences be-
ens and with other species of Oreorchis. tween the Japanese and Korean samples. A re-
markable diagnostic feature of O. coreana is the
Materials and Methods shape of the callus of the labellum. Oreorchis
coreana has a plate-like, fleshy callus at the base
Observations and measurements of morpho- of the midlobe of the labellum. Other species of
logical features were from living plants, dried Oreorchis have two lamellae, or lack projections,
herbarium specimens at the National Museum of on the labellum (Pearce & Cribb 1997). The other
Nature and Science, Tokyo (TNS) and in Tochigi unique characteristic of O. coreana is the detach-
Prefectural Museum, and specimens preserved in ment of the anther cap immediately after flower-
70% ethanol. Materials used in the DNA analysis ing. Maekawa (1935) emphasized the lack of as-
are shown in Table 1. DNA was extracted from sociated parts of the pollinarium in O. coreana to
dried leaves. Nucleotide sequences were deter- establish the genus Diplolabellum F. Maek.
mined by amplifying the internal transcribed Maekawa’s observations were erroneous because
spacer (ITS) regions of the 18S–26S nuclear ribo- we found a hamular type of stipe (Freudenstein
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Fig. 1. Oreorchis coreana Finet; from habitat in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. A: Habit; B: Flowers; C: Closeup of a flower, front
view.
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Fig. 2. Oreorchis coreana Finet. A: Habit. B: Flower, front view. C: Column and labellum, side view. D: Labellum. E: Dorsal
sepal. F: Petal. G: Lateral sepal. H: Column, from below. I: Column, side view. J: Anther cap. K: Pollinia. Drawn from M.
Takashima, T. Kamiyama & T. Noguchi 10023 by M. Nakajima. Scale bars=3 cm (A), 3 mm (B), or 1 mm (C–K).
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tAble 1. Collection localities, voucher information and GenBank accession numbers for materials used in sequence analysis.
GenBank numbers shown in bold are original data generated in the present study.
Taxon Location Collection number GenBank numbers for ITS regions
O. coreana Japan, Honshu, Tochigi Pref. Takashima et al. 10023 (TNS8505795) LC008195
Korea, Jeju Is. Yukawa 07-11 (no voucher) LC009378
Korea, Jeju Is. P719 JN252501
O. patens Korea, Jeju Is. EWU-NSLee 0305 EU266410
Japan, Honshu, Niigata Pref. Tsutsumi s.n. (TNS8505063) LC009427
Japan, Honshu, Ibaraki Pref. Takashima s.n. (no voucher) LC009429
Japan, Honshu, Nagano Pref. Takashima s.n. (TNS8505117) LC009430
Japan, Honshu, Tochigi Pref. Takashima s.n. (TNS8505116) LC009428
Korea, Jeollabuk-do Tsutsumi s.n. (no voucher) LC009426
1994) in the flowers of both the Japanese and Ko- cies of Oreorchis are allogamous. Although O.
rean plants (Lee 2011). coreana has been recognized as cleistogamous
In, Japan, the closest relative of Oreorchis (e.g. Pearce & Cribb 1997), we observed chas-
coreana is O. patens (Eum et al. 2008). Besides mogamous flowers. We confirmed chasmogamy
the aforementioned, several additional character- in both the Korean and Japanese populations.
istics can distinguish O. coreana from O. patens
readily. The flowers of O. coreana are smaller as Oreorchis coreana in eastern Japan presents
exemplified by the length of the lateral sepals an interesting case of disjunct distribution. A
(5.7–6.2 mm in O. coreana, 8–10.5 mm in O. pat- similar pattern of distribution is known in Habe-
ens). The lateral lobes of the labellum are at the naria crassilabia Kraenzl., which occurs on Jeju
middle in O. coreana, whereas they develop at Island and in the Izu Islands in eastern Japan
the base in O. patens. The column length is short- (Yukawa & Yagi 2011). Since only a single popu-
er in O. coreana (3.6–3.7 mm in O. coreana, 5.5– lation comprising about 10 individuals of O.
6 mm in O. patens). Moreover, the flowering sea- coreana is known in Japan, it may represent a re-
son O. coreana is later (late June to early July in cent case of long-distance dispersal or a relict
O. coreana, mid-May to mid-June in O. patens). population due to extinction of other populations
in eastern Asia. No sequence divergences in the
Molecular analysis ITS regions between the Korean and Japanese
DNA sequences of the ITS regions in the populations may support the former hypothesis.
plants from Japan were 100% identical with three
samples of Oreorchis coreana from Jeju Island, Description Based on Japanese Plants
Korea. Sequence divergences between O.
coreana and four individuals of O. patens in the Oreorchis coreana Finet, Bull. Soc. Bot. France
ITS regions were 4 or 5 substitutions and 1 inser- 55: 337 (1908).
tion/deletion. The results endorse conspecific sta-
tus of the Japanese and Korean plants. Typus. Korea, Jeju-do, Hallaisan, Jul. 1907, U. Faurie
2055 (syn. P!; isosyn. E, TI!, W) and Oct. 1907, E. Taquet
394 (syn. P; isosyn. E).
Ecology and distribution
Oreorchis patens (Lindl.) Lindl. subsp. coreana (Finet)
High fruit set hints at autogamous pollination
Y.N. Lee, Fl. Korea: 1164 (1996).
in Oreorchis coreana. If so, it may represent an Diplolabellum coreanum (Finet) F. Maek., J. Jap. Bot.
autoapomorphy of O. coreana, since other spe- 11: 305 (1935).
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February 2016 Takashima &al.—Oreorchis coreana (Orchidaceae) in Japan 65
Herbs, terrestrial. Roots few, fleshy. Pseudo- KOREA. Jeju-do. Hallaisan, Jul., 1907, U. Faurie
bulbs closely approximate, conical-ovoid, some- 2055 (P, TI); Hallaisan, 13 Aug., 1907, E. Taquet 1648
(TI); 31 Oct., 1917, T. Nakai 4839 (TI); 1 Nov., 1917, T.
times oblique, 2–3.2 cm tall, 1.4–1.8 cm wide,
Nakai 4875 (TI); Hallaisan, 27 May 1938, I.Yuyama s. n.
nodes 2 or 3, covered by scarious sheaths. Leaves
(TI); Jun. 1941, S.Zen 92 (TI).
1 or 2, at apex of pseudobulb, petiolate, green;
blade elliptic-lanceolate, 26–34.5 × 1.8–2.2 cm, We would like to thank Takayuki Kamiyama, Kyung-Seo
plicate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence erect, rac- Lee, Yasuhiro Nakazaki, Tatsunari Noguchi and Osamu
emose; peduncle terete, glabrous, green, 17– to Shimizu for assisting in the field work, Chie Tsutsumi for
providing samples, and Mutsuko Nakajima for preparing
29– flowered, 36.2–59 cm long; bracts triangular,
the illustrations. We are grateful to the directors and cura-
3.7–5 × 0.9–1 mm. Flowers resupinate, pedicel-
tors of P and TI for allowing us to examine specimens.
late; sepals and petals yellowish orange with pur- This study was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid to Sci-
ple margins; dorsal sepal oblanceolate, 6–6.3 × entific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion
1.8–1.9 mm, apex acute; lateral sepals subfalcate, of Science (15H04417) and a research grant from the Na-
tional Museum of Nature and Science to T. Yukawa.
5.7–6.2 × 2.1–2.2 mm, apex obtuse; petals subfal-
cate, 5.1–5.7 × 1.2–1.5 mm, apex obtuse; labellum
white with purple dots, 3-lobed, 4.8–5.2 × 3.7–4.1 References
mm, lateral lobes ligulate, obtuse, 1.8–2 × 0.6–
0.7 mm, midlobe flabellate, margins undulate, re- Eum. M. S, T. Yukawa, Y. Luo, J. V. Freudenstein & N. S.
Lee. 2008. Reappraisal of Diplolabellum coreanum
curved; callus yellow, plate-like, fleshy, apex
(Orchidaceae) as inferred from molecular data. J.
emarginate; column cream with purple dots ab-
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axially, yellow basally, terete, erect, 3.6–3.7 ×
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× 0.87 mm; pollinia 4, with a stipe, whitish yel- Freudenstein. J. V. 1994. Gynostemium structure and re-
lationships of the Corallorhizinae (Orchidaceae: Epi-
low, waxy, 0.51 × 0.48 mm; ovary terete, dull
dendroideae). Pl. Syst. Evol. 193: 1–19.
purplish, 6.3–6.5 × 1 mm. Figs. 1 & 2.
IUCN. 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Ver-
Japanese name. Kokeiran-modoki.
sion 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN,
Flowering. Late June to early July. Gland and Cambridge.
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Ewha Womans University Press, Seoul (in Korean).
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Lee, Y. N. 1996. Flora of Korea. Kyo-Hak Publishing,
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plantation and cool temperate deciduous forests
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Cercidiphyllum japonicum Siebold et Zucc. ex
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Hoffm. et Schult. in Japan; cool temperate decid-
Sun, Y., D. Z. Skinner, G. H. Liang & S. H. Hulbert. 1994.
uous forests in Korea.
Phylogenetic analysis of Sorghum and related taxa
Conservation. Because there are fewer than using internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosom-
10 individuals of Oreorchis coreana in only a al DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 89: 26–32.
Topik, H., T. Yukawa & M. Ito. 2005. Molecular phyloge-
single population in Japan, they belong in the cat-
netics of subtribe Aeridinae (Orchidaceae): insights
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from plastid matK and nuclear ribosomal ITS se-
(IUCN, 2001).
quences. J. Pl. Res. 118: 271–284.
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Received August 27, 2014; accepted July 31, 2015
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