New plant species discovered in Medog, Tibet!

Recently, researchers discovered a new species of orchid in Medog, Tibet.

The reporter learned from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Medog County, Linzhi City, Tibet Autonomous Region that in August 2023, the Tibet Orchid Survey Team discovered an unknown species of the genus Kuhlhasseltia in the Yarlung Zangbo River in Medog County. Through morphological character research, the survey team confirmed that the species was a new species of the genus Kuhlhasseltia and named it after Medog County - Kuhlhasseltia motuoensis. The research results have been published in the international plant taxonomy journal Plant Taxonomy.

The picture shows the habitat of Medog Banner Orchid. (Photo courtesy of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

According to reports, the orchid family is one of the most species-rich families in angiosperms and one of the "flagship" groups in biodiversity conservation. Kuhlhasseltia is a plant of the Orchidaceae, Cranichideae family. There are about 11 species of Kuhlhasseltia in the world, of which two species are recorded in China.

The picture shows the floral structure of Medog Banner Orchid. (Photo courtesy of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

The difference between Medog Cymbidium and other species of the genus Cymbidium is quite obvious. The middle part of the lip of Medog Cymbidium is yellow, with two rows of tooth-like protrusions on the outer edges on both sides. The front lip lobes are nearly round, and there is a green spot between the two lobes.

According to Jin Xiaohua, head of the Tibet Orchid Survey Team and researcher at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as of now, only one wild population of Medog Banner Orchid has been found, with about 25 plants.

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Source: Xinhua News Agency

Editor: Zhong Yanping