J Syst Evol ›› 1964, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (4): 335-344.

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Lowiaceae, a Family New to the Flora of China

Wu Tê-Lin   

  • Published:1964-10-18

Abstract: The occurrence of the monocotyledonous family Lowiaceae in the Chinese flora is reported for the first time in this paper in which two new species, Orchidantha chinensis and O. insularis L. T. Wu are proposed. Up to now, Orchidantha N. E. Brown, the sole genus in the family includes only six species with a range of distribution extending from Borneo, through the Malay Peninsula, to Thailand and Laos. In the present review of the family, the eight known species are grouped into two sections characterized as follows: Sect. 1. Orchidantha Labellum sessile segmentis calycis simile. 1. O. borneensis N. E. Brown; 2. O. chinensis T. L. Wu; 3. O. insularis T. L. Wu; 4. O. laotica Larsen. Typus sect. O. borneensis N. E. Brown. Sect. 2. Lowia (Scortech.) T. W. Wu, grad. nov. Lowia Scortech. Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital. 18: 308. 1886-pro genere. Labellum unguiculatum segmentis calycis valde dissimile. 5. 0. maxillarioides (Ridl.) Hook. f.; 6. O. calcarea Henderson; 7. O. siamensis Larsen; 8. O. longiflora (Scortech.) Ridley. Typus sect. O. longiflora (Scortech.) Ridley. Besides the Latin descriptions of the new species incorporated in the Chinese text, a brief history of the family, general discussions on systematic relationship accompanied by a comparative table of allied families, a distributional map, and a key to species are included in this preliminary study.