Neottia acuminata

Neottia acuminata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Neottia
Species:
N. acuminata
Binomial name
Neottia acuminata
Synonyms[2]
  • Aphyllorchis parviflora King & Pantl.
  • Holopogon ussuriensis Kom. & Nevski
  • Neottia asiatica Ohwi
  • Neottia micrantha Lindl.
  • Neottia oblonga Tang & F.T.Wang
  • Neottia parviflora (King & Pantl.) Schltr.
  • Neottia subsessilis Ohwi
  • Neottia ussuriensis (Kom. & Nevski) Soó
  • Nidus micranthus Kuntze

Neottia acuminata is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae. It is native to the Himalaya and temperate East Asia.[2] It is a leafless, holomycotrophic, rhizomatous geophyte that grows primarily in temperate regions.[2]

Description

Neottia acuminata is a leafless, holomycotrophic terrestrial orchid that grows 14–30 cm tall.[3] It has a rhizome with many fleshy roots and a glabrous peduncle 10–25 cm long bearing 3–5 tubular, membranous sheaths.[3] The rachis is 4–8 cm long and densely bears more than 20 flowers, which are usually arranged in clusters of three or four.[3]

The flowers are small, resupinate, and yellowish brown.[3] The dorsal sepal is narrowly lanceolate, 3–5 mm long, one-veined, and long-acuminate at the apex; the lateral sepals are similar.[3] The petals are narrowly lanceolate, 2–3.5 mm long.[3] The lip is variable in shape, usually ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or lanceolate, unlobed, and has an acuminate or obtuse apex.[3] The column is extremely short, usually less than 0.5 mm long.[3] The capsule is ellipsoid, about 6 mm long.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to the East Himalaya, West Himalaya, Nepal, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and the Russian Far East.[2] Within China, it has been recorded from Gansu, Hebei, Hubei, southern Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Tibet, and northern Yunnan.[3]

It grows in forests and on shaded grassy slopes at elevations of 1,500–4,100 m.[3]

Conservation status

Neottia acuminata has been assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.[1] The assessment notes that the population trend is stable.[1] Threats include agriculture, plantation forestry, livestock farming, and collecting of terrestrial plants, although the species also occurs in at least one protected area.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Chadburn, H. (2018). "Neottia acuminata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T22486439A22487118. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22486439A22487118.en. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  2. ^ a b c d "Neottia acuminata Schltr". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Neottia acuminata". Flora of China. eFloras. pp. 185, 188. Retrieved 2026-03-17.