A PROVISIONAL CHECKLIST OF THE ORCHIDS OF GUIZHOU PROVINCE, CHINA

Abstract

Guizhou² is situated in south central China, lying between 103°43' and 109°30'E longitude and 24°50' and 29°10'N latitude. The province covers an area of approximately 174,000 square kilometers and has a complex topography and varied climate. The diversity of habitats and the equable climate in Guizhou has resulted in a flora comparable in richness and diversity to Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangxi. In the Flora of Guizhou, the Orchidaceae form one of the largest groups of plants, as the family does in the flora of China. The orchids of Guizhou, however, are poorly known and no comprehensive assessment of their diversity has been compiled. This paper was prepared using collections in the Arnold Arboretum Herbarium (A), Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium (AMES), the Gray Herbarium (GH), and the herbaria of the Institute of Botany in Beijing (PE), the Institute of Biology of Guizhou (HGAS), the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guizhou (GZTM), the New York Botanical Garden (NY) and the U.S.A. National Herbarium (US). The checklist is also based on field work in Guizhou and reports in literature housed in the libraries of the above institutions. This paper is an account of all known species of Orchidaceae in Guizhou Province, China based on the material found both in herbaria and literature. Guizhou contains 194 species and 2 varieties of orchids belonging to 69 genera distributed among 25 subtribes and two subfamilies. Of them 63 species are new records for Guizhou indicated in the text by an asterisk (*); three previously accepted species are reduced to synonyms. The checklist will serve as a basis for further exploration in the province and will also be useful in preparing the treatments for the Orchidaceae for the forthcoming Flora of Guizhou and Flora Republicae Popularis Sinicae.