Bulbophyllum raulersoniae

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Bulbophyllum raulersoniae
Bulbophyllum raulersoniae.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Bulbophyllum
Section: Bulbophyllum sect. Codonosiphon
Species:
B. raulersoniae
Binomial name
Bulbophyllum raulersoniae
Deloso, Paulino & Cootes

Bulbophyllum raulersoniae is a species of orchid in the section Codonosiphon . [1] [2] It is endemic to the islands of Guam and Rota in the Marianas Archipelago. The species was named posthumously after Dr. Lynn Raulerson, professor of biology at the University of Guam, who had discovered the species in 1986. [3] After going unnamed for 36 years, the species was first described and named in the OrchideenJournal in 2022 by Banjamin Deloso, Charles Paulino, and Jim Cootes. [4] [5]

Contents

Distribution

The species is only known to occur in moist forests of elevated limestone on the islands of Guam and Rota, where it grows as an epiphyte in the understory. [6] The type specimen was found in northern Guam in Machanao, near Potts Junction at about 140 meters above sea level, growing on Morinda citrifolia . Since then, this habitat has been cleared for development, and there were no observations of the species during a 2016/2017 survey at the nearby Anderson Airforce Base in northern Guam. [6] [7]

In southern Guam, specimens can be seen growing on the elevated limestone caps along the Lamlam-Alifan ridge about 350 meters above sea level. [6]

On the island of Rota, Bulbophyllum raulersoniae has been observed growing at Sabana.[ citation needed ]

In their 2022 description of the species, Deloso et al. recommended surveys of other Mariana Islands to determine if this diminutive orchid may have a larger native range, as well as further searches to see if it may still persist in northern Guam. [6]

Description

In their original description of the species, Deloso et al. distinguish Bulbophyllum raulersoniae from other Bulbophyllum species by its "smaller pseudobulbs, an abscising lamina that leaves persisting pseudobulbs with a prominent leaf scar, a solitary flower on a short pedicel, and shorter petioles, lateral sepals, and petals." [6]

(A) Bulbophyllum raulersoniae.  (B) Bulbophyllum guamense.  (C) Depiction of four types of leaf and pseudobulb arrangements.  From Thomas Marler in "Ephemeral and persistent pseudobulbs differ in their influence on nutrient relations of Guam Bulbophyllum plants," in the journal Species, 2022. Bulbophyllum raulersoniae and Bulbophyllum gaumense comparison.png
(A) Bulbophyllum raulersoniae.  (B) Bulbophyllum guamense.  (C) Depiction of four types of leaf and pseudobulb arrangements.  From Thomas Marler in "Ephemeral and persistent pseudobulbs differ in their influence on nutrient relations of Guam Bulbophyllum plants," in the journal Species, 2022.

Bulbophyllum raulersoniae is smaller and more delicate than Bulbophyllum gaumense , another Guam and Rota endemic orchid. [3] They particularly differ in flower traits, although the two species have similar-appearing leaves, pseudobulbs and rhizomes. Both species produce one leaf per pseudobulb. [9] The pseudobulbs of Bulbophyllum raulersoniae persist after their associated leaf has fallen off, whereas the pseudobulb and leaf senesce together in Bulbophyllum guamense. [9]

Bulbophyllum raulersoniae blooms several times per year, but the flowers last only 2 days, opening slightly on the afternoon of the first day, fully opening by the next morning, and wilting by the afternoon of the second day. [6] [3]

Ecology

Host plants identified so far include Morinda citrifolia , Areca catechu , Pandanus tectorius , Pandanus dibius , Elaeocarpus joga , Guettarda speciosa , and Freycinecia reineckii . [6]

Although many Orchidaceae species have relationships with specific pollinators, a pollinator for Bulbophyllum raulersoniae has not yet been identified. [6]

Conservation status

Solitary flower of Bulbophyllum raulersoniae. B raulersoniae flower.jpg
Solitary flower of Bulbophyllum raulersoniae.

Deloso et al. had recommended in 2022 that the species be listed as endangered, citing its restricted habitat on elevated limestone only on the islands of Guam and Rota. [6] As of March 2024, the species is not yet listed by the IUCN. [10]

See also

List of endemic plants in the Mariana Islands

Related Research Articles

<i>Bulbophyllum</i> Genus of orchids

Bulbophyllum is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is the largest genus in the orchid family and one of the largest genera of flowering plants with more than 2,000 species, exceeded in number only by Astragalus. These orchids are found in diverse habitats throughout most of the warmer parts of the world including Africa, southern Asia, Latin America, the West Indies, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Orchids in this genus have thread-like or fibrous roots that creep over the surface of trees or rocks or hang from branches. The stem is divided into a rhizome and a pseudobulb, a feature that distinguished this genus from Dendrobium. There is usually only a single leaf at the top of the pseudobulb and from one to many flowers are arranged along an unbranched flowering stem that arises from the base of the pseudobulb. Several attempts have been made to separate Bulbophyllum into smaller genera, but most have not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.

<i>Morinda citrifolia</i> Species of plant

Morinda citrifolia is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, which was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widely naturalised. There are over 100 names for this fruit across different regions, including great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, vomit fruit, awl tree, and rotten cheese fruit.

<i>Grammatophyllum</i> Genus of orchids

Grammatophyllum, sometimes abbreviated in horticultural trade as Gram, is a genus of 13 currently known orchid species. The name is derived from the Greek words 'gramma' and 'phyllon' (leaf), referring to the parallel leaf veins or the markings of the perianth. This epiphytic genus occurs in dense rainforest from Indo-China, to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and the Southwest Pacific islands.

Oncophyllum is a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae, consisting of only two small species endemic to Australia, and previously classified as being in Bulbophyllum.

<i>Bulbophyllum frostii</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum frostii, commonly known as Frost's bulbophyllum or Dutchman's shoes is a species of orchid, In the wild it grows as an epiphyte, inhabiting evergreen seasonal lowland rainforests in Vietnam and more rarely in Thailand, including the Malay peninsula. It was more recently reported growing in the Yunnan province of China during a series of botanical surveys between 2017 and 2020. This plant is usually found at elevations of around 1500m above sea level.

Bulbophyllum argyropus, commonly known as the silver strand orchid, is a species of epiphytic or sometimes lithophytic orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia, including Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. It has crowded pseudobulbs, tough, dark green leaves and up to four small whitish to yellowish flowers with an orange labellum.

<i>Bulbophyllum baileyi</i> Species of orchid from Australia and New Guinea

Bulbophyllum baileyi, commonly known as the fruit fly orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid that is native to Queensland and New Guinea. It has coarse, creeping rhizomes, curved, yellowish pseudobulbs with a single thick, fleshy leaf, and a single cream-coloured flower with yellow, red or purple spots. It grows on trees and rocks in open forest, often in exposed places.

<i>Bulbophyllum grandimesense</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum grandimesense, commonly known as the pale rope orchid, is a species of epiphytic orchid with well-spaced pseudobulbs and brown bracts arranged along the stems. Each pseudobulb has a single, fleshy, dark green leaf and usually only a single white flower with thread-like tips on the sepals. It grows on rainforest trees in a small area of tropical North Queensland.

<i>Bulbophyllum guamense</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum guamense is a species of orchid in the genus Bulbophyllum. It is native to the islands of Guam and Rota in the Mariana Islands.

Bulbophyllum lamingtonense, commonly known as the cream rope orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with well-spaced pseudobulbs and brown bracts arranged along the stems. Each pseudobulb has a single, fleshy, channelled leaf and a single cream-coloured or white flower with yellow tips. It grows on trees and rocks near cliffs and the edge of rainforest near the eastern border between New South Wales and Queensland.

Bulbophyllum lewisense, commonly known as the Mount Lewis rope orchid, is a species of epiphytic orchid with pseudobulbs and pale brown bracts arranged along the stems. Each pseudobulb has a single, dark green, channelled leaf and a single white flower with pointed tips on the sepals. It grows on the higher branches of rainforest trees, often where it is exposed to breezes on the higher tablelands of tropical North Queensland.

Bulbophyllum montense is a species of orchid in the genus Bulbophyllum found in Borneo.

Bulbophyllum windsorense, commonly known as the thread-tipped rope orchid, is a species of epiphytic orchid that has small pseudobulbs partly hidden by brown, papery bracts. Each pseudobulb has a single fleshy, dark green, grooved leaf and one or two cream-coloured or greenish flowers. It mainly grows near the breezy tops of trees, especially Callitris macleayana trees and is endemic to tropical North Queensland.

<i>Bulbophyllum wolfei</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum wolfei, commonly known as the fleshy snake orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with thin, creeping rhizomes, and flattened pseudobulbs each with a single thick, fleshy, dark green leaf and a single cream-coloured flower with dark red stripes. It mostly grows on rainforest trees in tropical North Queensland.

<i>Geodorum</i> Genus of orchids

Geodorum, commonly known as shepherds' crooks or 地宝兰属 , is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are deciduous, terrestrial herbs with underground pseudobulbs, broad, pleated leaves and small to medium-sized, tube-shaped or bell-shaped flowers on a flowering stem with a drooping end. Species in this genus are found in southern Japan, tropical Asia, Australia and islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean.

<i>Dendrobium bullenianum</i> Species of orchid

Dendrobium bullenianum is a member of the family Orchidaceae found in the Philippines and Vietnam. It is named in honor of Mr. Bullen, orchid cultivator with Low & Co.'s nursery, who was first in Britain get this species to flower in cultivation. It is pendulous and sympodial with 1 meter long pseudobulbs of 1.5 cm thickness and deciduous leaves of 10 cm by 1.5 cm. Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach was the first to describe this species in 1862 in Botanische Zeitung. It is found as an epiphyte in elevations up to 1,000 metres in Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines.

<i>Bulbophyllum maxillare</i> Species of orchid

Bulbophyllum maxillare, commonly known as the red horntail orchid, is a species of epiphytic orchid with tapered grooved, dark green to yellowish pseudobulbs, each with a single large, thin leaf and a single reddish flower with yellow or white edges. The lateral sepals are much larger than the dorsal sepal which in turn is much larger than the petals. It grows on the lower branches of rainforest trees in India, New Guinea and tropical North Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianas tropical dry forests</span> Tropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregion of the Mariana Islands

The Marianas tropical dry forests is a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregion on the Marianas Islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Bulbophyllum amorosoanum is a species of orchid in the genus Bulbophyllum found in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines.

References

  1. "Bulbophyllum raulersoniae Deloso, Paulino & Cootes". www.worldfloraonline.org. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  2. "Bulbophyllum raulersoniae Deloso, Paulino & Cootes". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bulbophyllum | University of Guam". www.uog.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  4. https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/news-and-announcements/2021-2022/2022-bulbophyllum-raulersoniae-orchideen-journal.pdf
  5. Benjamin E Deloso; Charles Paulino; Jim Cootes (July 2022). "A new species of Bulbophyllum (Orchidaceae) from the Mariana Islands of Guam and Rota". OrchideenJournal. 29 (2). ISSN   1864-9459. Wikidata   Q124807343.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Deloso, Benjamin E; Paulino, Charles; Cootes, Jim (July 2022). "A new species of Bulbophyllum (Orchidaceae) from the Mariana Islands of Guam und Rota". OrchideenJournal. 29 (2). ISSN   1864-9459.
  7. Demeulenaere, Else; Putnam, Matthew; Fiedler, G. Curt (2018). Project Report: Threatened and Endangered Plant Surveys of Northwest Field. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.
  8. Marler, Thomas E. (2022). "Ephemeral and persistent pseudobulbs differ in their influence on nutrient relations of Guam Bulbophyllum plants". Species. 23 (72): 613 via ResearchGate.
  9. 1 2 Marler, Thomas E. (2022). "Ephemeral and persistent pseudobulbs differ in their influence on nutrient relations of Guam Bulbophyllum plants". Species. 23 (72): 612–619 via ResearchGate.
  10. "IUCN search: Bulbophyllum ralersoniae" . Retrieved 2024-03-11.