PhytoKeys 135: 35–38 (2019) doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.135.46629 A peer-reviewed open-access journal Nervilia lilacea from Kenya 35 SHORT COMMUNICATION http://phytokeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research The first report of Nervilia lilacea Jum. & H. Perrier (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae) from Kenya and the Northern Hemisphere Jing Tian1,2, Vivian Kathambi1,2,3, Peris Kamau4, Geoffrey Mwachala4, Itambo Malombe4, Guang-Wan Hu1,2 1 CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China 2 Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 4 East African Herbarium, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 451660-0100, Nairobi, Kenya Corresponding author: Guang-Wan Hu (guangwanhu@wbgcas.cn) Academic editor: M. Simo-Droissart | Received 16 September 2019 | Accepted 30 October 2019 | Published 11 November 2019 Citation: Tian J, Kathambi V, Kamau P, Mwachala G, Malombe I, Hu G-W (2019) The first report of Nervilia lilacea Jum. & H. Perrier (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae) from Kenya and the Northern Hemisphere. PhytoKeys 135: 35–38. https://doi. org/10.3897/phytokeys.135.46629 Abstract Nervilia lilacea is recorded from Kenya as well as the Northern Hemisphere for the first time. A plate of ink drawing and a distribution map are provided based on the new collection. Keywords Flora of Kenya, illustration of Nervilia lilacea, new record, Orchidaceae, taxonomy Introduction Nervilia Commerson ex Gaudichaud-Beaupré in Freycinet (1829: 421) comprises ca. 80 species, distributed from tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Southwest Pacific islands (Govaerts et al. 2019). There are 15 species of Nervilia recorded in Africa (Govaerts et al. 2019). Among these spe- Copyright Jing Tian et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 36 Jing Tian et al. / PhytoKeys 135: 35–38 (2019) cies, five of them have been recorded in Kenya (Petersson 1990, 1991; Stewart and Campbell 1996; Olszewski 2004; Nusbaumer et al. 2011; Govaerts et al. 2019). In April 2018, during a field survey in Nandi Forest, N. lilacea Jumelle & Perrier (1912: 197) was collected from Kenya (the northern side of the equator) for the first time. We report it here with a plate of ink drawing and a distribution map based on the new collection. Figure 1. Nervilia lilacea A plant with flower B plant with leaf (adaxial and abaxial leaf ) C flower, frontal view D floral pieces dissected (a dorsal sepal b lateral petal c lateral sepal d lip) E lip F column, lateral and ventral view G anther H pollinia I capsule (Jing Tian drew it from FOKP-1530 specimen). Nervilia lilacea from Kenya 37 New record Nervilia lilacea Jum. & H.Perrier, Ann. Fac. Sci. Marseille 21(2): 197, 1912 Fig. 1 = Nervilia gassneri Börge Pett. in Nord. J. Bot. 9: 492. 1990. Type. Malawi: Southern Prov., Zomba Distr., Zomba Plateau, 1530 m, 15 July 1984. Petersson and Gassner 359 (holotype: UPS, image seen!; isotype: BP, K, image seen!, LISC, LMU, MAL, NHT, SRGH). Type. Madagascar: Centre, massif de Manonarivo, bois humides, 1000 m, fl., Perrier de la Bâthie 1873 (holotype: P [P00094725], image seen!). Specimens examined. Kenya. Nandi North District, Spetonok, 0°22'32"N, 35°00'29"E, elevation 2000 m, 22 April 2018, FOKP-1530 (EA, HIB). Distribution. Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya (new record). (Fig. 2) Habitat and phenology. Tropical rain forest floor margins at elevation 200– 2000 m a.s.l.. Flowering from March to April was observed in Kenya. Figure 2. Distribution map of Nervilia lilacea, with the new collection FOKP-1530 shown by a red star [other points re-drawn after Petersson (1990, 1991) and specimen records] 38 Jing Tian et al. / PhytoKeys 135: 35–38 (2019) Acknowledgments Thanks to the Kenya Forest Service for the permission of field investigation. This work was supported by a grant from Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, CAS (SAJC201614). References Freycinet LCD (1829) Voyage autour du monde, entrepris par ordre du roi. Chez Pillet Aîné, Paris, 522 pp. Govaerts R, Dransfield J, Zona S, Hodel DR, Henderson A (2019) World checklist of Orchidaceae. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://wcsp.science.kew.org [Retrieved 29 October 2019] Jumelle H, Perrier H (1912) Les Nervilia et les Bulbophylum du Nord-Ouest de Madagascar. Annales de la Faculte des Sciences de Marseille 21: 187–216. Nusbaumer L, Cribb P, Gautier L (2011) Nervilia gassneri Börge Pett. from Africa is conspecific with the Malagasy N. liacea Jum. & H.Perrier. Candollea 66(1): 127−130. https://doi. org/10.15553/c2011v661a14 Olszewski TS (2004) A provisional checklist of the continental African Orchidaceae. 5. Vanilloideae. Polish Botanical Journal 49(2): 123–134. Petersson B (1990) Studies in the genus Nervilia (Orchidaceae) in Africa. Nordic Journal of Botany 9(5): 487–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1051.1990.tb00539.x Petersson B (1991) The Genus Nervilia (Orchidaceae) in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Orchid Monographs (Vol. 5). Rijksherbarium/Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, 90 pp. Stewart J, Campbell B (1996) Orchids of Kenya. 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