The Genus of Acanthephippium Blume (Orchidaceae) in Taiwan

Three species of Acanthephippium (Orchidaceae) are recognized from Taiwan: Acanthephippium pictum Fukuyama, A. striatum Lindley and A. sylhetense Lindley. According to previous reports, A. pictum is a synonymy of A. sylhetense, although A. pictum can be distinguished from A. sylhetense by the shape and color of the flowers, and the structures of the lips. The distribution pattern of these two species are also different. A. pictum occurs only on Iriomote island, Japan and Lanyu island, Taiwan. A taxonomic treatment and line drawings of A. pictum in Taiwan are provided. A somatic chromosome counts of 2n = 48 are reported for A. pictum from Lanyu island and for A. striatum and A. sylhetense from Taiwan island.