Scientific name: Trichoglottis canhii Aver.
English name:
Vietnamese name:
Other name:

Miniature epiphyte; stem simple 0.5-5 cm long, with 2-5 leaves; roots numerous, thick. Leaves leathery, keeled and wavy along edges, 12cm long, 6-14 mm wide, arching, apex with unequal rounded lobes. Inflorescence lateral, rigid, from leafless basal part of the stem, 0.4-4 cm long. Scape 2-10 mm long, with 2-6 persistent, triangular sterile bracts 1-2 mm long. Rachis ridged, bearing 3-14 spirally arranged flowers. Floral bracts persistent, triangular, 0.8-1.6 mm long. Pedicel and ovary perpendicular, cylindric, 4.5mm long. Flowers widely opening, 7-10 mm across; yellowish or brown; lip white, often with yellowish side lobes. Sepals and petals oblanceolate, 3.4-4.2 mm long, 1.4-1.6 mm wide. Lip firmly attached to the column, spurred, 3.6-4.2 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, with indistinct fleshy side lobes and large median lobe; disc long hairy inside; median lobe glabrous, fleshy, obcordate, indistinctly 5-lobulate, at the base with hollow; side lobes in form of oblong, papillose parallel cushions. Spur short, broadly conical, 1.2-2 mm long, shortly hairy inside. Back-wall callus in form of thin, erect, hairy ligula, 0.4-0.8 mm long and wide, usually divided from the base into two twin halves. Column short, cylindric, 1.4-2 mm tall, 1.5-1.6 mm broad; rostellum very small, anther cap hemispherical, 1-1.2 mm across, finely verruculose, with small, triangular, up curved beak. Tegula 0.5-0.7 mm long, broadening to the apex; caudicles insignificant; viscidium ovate, about 0.2 mm long. Pollinia 2, globular, each completely divided into 2 free portions.

Perennial monopodial miniature epiphytic herb. Stem orthotropic, simple, rarely few branching near the base, stout, rigid, (0.5)1-3(5) cm long, (3)4-5(6) mm in diam., with (2)3-5(6) leaves approximated at the apex; leaf sheaths distichous, overlapping; internodes (1.5)2-3(4) mm long. Roots numerous, thick, gray, wiry, flexuose, arising from leafless basal part of the stem. Leaves sessile, with articulation at the base, leathery, lanceolate to strap-shaped, strongly conduplicate, keeled and wavy along edges, (2.5)3-8(12) cm long, (6)8-12(14) mm wide, arching, at the apex with unequal rounded lobes. Inflorescence lateral, arising from leafless basal part of the stem, few- to many-flowered erect (directed to the stem apex) raceme (0.4)0.5-3(4) cm long; scape and rachis straight, or slightly arching, stout, rigid, uniformly dull green; scape 2-10 mm long, 1-2 mm in diam., with 2-5(6) persistent, triangular obtuse sterile bracts (1)1.5-2 mm long and wide, densely appressed to peduncle; rachis irregularly angled in cross section, 1.5-2(2.2) mm in diam., bearing (3)5-12(14) distant, spirally arranged flowers. Floral bracts persistent, triangular, concave, obtuse, subperpendicular to the rachis, dull greenish to light brown, (0.8)1-1.5(1.6) mm long and wide. Pedicel and ovary perpendicular to the rachis, cylindric, distinctly inflated at the base, straight to up curved, longitudinally ridged, 3.5-4(4.5) mm long, 0.8-1(1.2) mm in diam., uniform light greenish. Flowers widely opening, (7)8-10 mm across; sepals and petals yellowish speckled with brown to uniform light brown; lip and spur pure white, often with yellowish side lobes; column and operculum light dull yellowish to almost white; pollinia yellow. Sepals and petals spreading, oblanceolate, broadening to the apex, obtuse, (3.4)3.5-4(4.2) mm long, 1.4-1.5(1.6) mm wide; lateral sepals and petals slightly oblique-falcate; petals slightly shorter and narrower. Lip firmly attached to the column, spurred, 5- nerved, cymbiform, (3.6)3.8-4(4.2) mm long (from the base to the apex of median lobe), (1.5)1.8-2 mm wide, with indistinct elongate fleshy side lobes and large median lobe; disc densely hairy inside with long soft hairs and low, narrow longitudinal hairless keel coming from lip hollow to the spur; median lobe glabrous, fleshy, obcordate to almost circular or transversely broadly elliptic, (2)2.2-2.4(2.5) mm long and wide, indistinctly 5-lobulate, with obtuse to blunt slightly swollen low lobules, at the base with prominent hollow (on ventral surface); side lobes in form of fleshy elongate cylindric papillose parallel cushions placed along lip margin and incurved abaxially above lip hollow. Spur short, broadly conical, (1.2)1.4-1.8(2) mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm wide near base, roundish at apex, shortly hairy inside on front-wall surface. Back-wall callus in form of thin, erect, directed parallel to column base, hairy abaxially, ovate or rectangular ligula, (0.4)0.5-0.7(0.8) mm tall and wide, usually divided from the base into two twin halves. Column short, stout, erect, broadly cylindric, (1.4)1.5-1.8(2) mm tall, 1.5-1.6 mm broad, rostellum very small, in form of insignificant protuberance at front of clinandrium. Anther cap hemispherical, 1-1.2 mm in diam., finely verruculose, with small, triangular, up curved beak, 0.2-0.3 mm long. Stipe (tegula) 0.5-0.7 mm long, broadening at apex into lanceolate conduplicate, acute plate; caudicles insignificant; viscidium ovate, about 0.2 mm long. Pollinia 2, each completely divided into 2 free densely appressed subequal hemispheric portions, 0.5 mm in diam. Fruits usually down directed, narrowly ellipsoid to cylindric, dull brown, (1.6)2-2.5(3) cm long, (4)5-6(7) mm in diam., inside with well- developed light dull yellow-brownish capillitium.

Type :—VIETNAM. Dak Lak province: Ea H’leo district, Ea Wy municipality, epiphyte on relictual trees in remnants of dry Dipterocarp forest, 500 m a.s.l., around point 13°14’39’N 108°08’38’’E, 27 April 2015, N.V.Canh, L.Averyanov, T.Maisak, AL 32 (holotype, LE!).

Etymology:—Species is named after the outstanding Vietnamese orchid enthusiast and excellent wild-orchid grower—Mr. Nguyen Van Canh.

Habitat, phenology and conservation status:—Miniature branch epiphyte. Lowland dry open semideciduous and deciduous Dipterocarp forests and woodlands, usually on ferralitic soils. 500 m. Fl. March-May. Very rare. Estimated IUCN Red List status—DD.

Distribution:—Vietnam: Dak Lak province (Ea H’leo and Ea Sup districts). Endemic. Studied

specimens (paratypes):—VIETNAM. Dak Lak province: Ea Sup district, Yok Don national park, dry Dipterocarp forest, 2015, Hiep & N.Phong, AL 9 (LE!). Ea H’leo district, Ea Wy municipality, epiphyte on relictual trees in remnants of dry Dipterocarp forest at elev. about 500 m a.s.l., around point 13°14’39’N 108°08’38’’E, 26 April 2015, N.V.Canh, L.Averyanov, T.Maisak, AL 15a (LE!).

Notes:—The new species is somewhat related to relation to Trichoglottis lorata (Rolfe ex Downie 1925: 407) Schuiteman (2007: 62) (Staurochilus loratus (Rolfe ex Downie 1925: 407) Seidenfaden 1988: 95) and Trichoglottis ramosa (Lindley 1833-1840: 224) Senghas (1988: 1315) (Staurochilus ramosus (Lindley 1833: 224) (Seidenfaden 1988: 95), but differs distinctly in having short, always simple, dense inflorescences, smaller flowers, much shorter and broad spur and a dissected back-wall lamella. The plant discovered also resembles Trichoglottis triflora (Guillaumin 1956: 239) Garay & Seidenfaden (Garay 1972: 209) on its miniature habit, short inflorescences and small flowers. In this connection, it may represent an intermediate phylogenetic “link” between the above mentioned species strongly supporting the idea of the merging of the genera Trichoglottis Blume (1825: 359) and Staurochilus Ridley ex Pfitzer in Engler & Prantl (1900: 16) (Schuiteman & Vogel, 2007).