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Issue: Vol. 774 No. 1: 11 Sept. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-09-11
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.774.1.3
Page range: 31-48
Abstract views: 34
PDF downloaded: 5

·Cypripedium × yadongense, a new natural hybrid of Cypripedium (Orchidaceae) from Xizang, China

State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops; Wuhan Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wuhan 430074; China; Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China; Key Laboratory of State Ethnic Affairs Commission for Biological Technology; College of Life Sciences; South-Central Minzu University; Wuhan 430074; Hubei; China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wuhan 430074; China
Shanxi Vocational University of Engineering Science and Technology; Jinzhong 030619; Shanxi; China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops; Wuhan Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wuhan 430074; China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wuhan 430074; China
Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China; Key Laboratory of State Ethnic Affairs Commission for Biological Technology; College of Life Sciences; South-Central Minzu University; Wuhan 430074; Hubei; China
Gesneriad Conservation Center of China (Hunan); Hunan Botanical Garden; Changsha 410116; Hunan; China
Central South University of Forestry & Technology; Changsha 410004; Hunan; China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops; Wuhan Botanical Garden; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wuhan 430074; China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wuhan 430074; China
Monocots Cypripedium Hybrid IUCN Morphology Taxonomy

Abstract

Cypripedium × yadongense is a recently identified natural hybrid of the genus Cypripedium (Orchidaceae), discovered in Xizang Autonomous Region, China. It grows sympatrically with its parental species, C. himalaicum and C. tibeticum, in herb-rich understory of shrub forests. Morphologically, C. × yadongense exhibits a combination of traits inherited from both parents. It closely resembles C. himalaicum in sepal and petal morphology, staminode structure, lip orifice, and rhizome characteristics. However, its lip morphology and overall flower size are more similar to those of C. tibeticum. Furthermore, the indumentum on the ovary is intermediate between the two parental species. These distinct morphological features conclusively identify this taxon as a natural hybrid between C. tibeticum and C. himalaicum. Phylogenetic analyses based on both plastid genome data and Angiosperms353 nuclear genes have confirmed its hybrid origin, identifying C. himalaicum as the maternal parent and C. tibeticum as the paternal parent.

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How to Cite

Shen, C., Fang, J., Peng, S., Liu, H., Zhu, L., Liu, A. & Hu, G. (2026) ·Cypripedium × yadongense, a new natural hybrid of Cypripedium (Orchidaceae) from Xizang, China. Phytotaxa 774 (1): 31–48. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.774.1.3