Lyubka (plant)

Rod Lubka was described by the French botanist L. Richard in 1817. Richard attributed to the genus Lyubka only one species , double-leafed love ( Platanthera bifolia ), highlighting it from the prefabricated genus Orchis ( Orchis ).

After the description of the genus, the new generic name - Platanthera - was not immediately used in botanical literature. In fact, the Lubka clan receives recognition only after the work of G. G. Reichenbach and the orchidologist J. Lindley .

Many species of Lyubka and related genera were originally described as part of the genus Povodnik ( Habenaria ). The genus Lyubka received final recognition in world literature only at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was separated from the genus Povodnik ^[3] .

At the beginning of the XXI century, the genus continues to replenish with new species. In 2006, a description of the new Platanthera tescamnis species from North America was published; in 2007, Russian botanists L. V. Averyanov and P. G. Efimov described a new species of Platanthera epiphytica from Vietnam ^[5] .

Despite certain achievements in the study of the genus, Lyubka is still one of the little studied.

The Latin scientific name of the genus comes from the Greek. πλατύς (platys) - wide and ανθήρ (anther) - anther . Richard, describing the genus and giving it a name, meant by Platanthera a plant (orchid) with a wide anther . ^[6]

The Russian name of the genus, “Lyubka”, is associated with ancient legends that the tubers of this plant (primarily meaning the widespread double-leafed lyubka ) possess magical properties, being a love potion, a love potion ^[7] .

Representatives of the genus Lyubka are common in North America , Eurasia , the Azores , North Africa and Japan .

It is assumed that the genus originated in North America in the first half of the Tertiary period . Probably, representatives of the Lyubka clan settled Asia in the second half of the Tertiary period, penetrating into it from North America through Beringia . The primary species of the genus, having penetrated into Asia, formed secondary foci of diversity, of which two now exist - the Pacific Ocean-East Asian and East Himalayan-Sikano-Yunnan.

From the secondary center of the diversity of the genus in East Asia, the dispersal of species of the genus, accompanied by speciation, occurred in all available directions. “Two-leafed loves,” spreading out, populated almost the whole of Europe , the Mediterranean and the Caucasus . They probably came to Europe with a mesophilic broad-leaved deciduous flora in the Miocene or Pliocene ^[3] .

Lubki are sympodial plants of small and medium sizes.

Escape above ground (from 2 to 165 cm) and underground - more or less thickened stem root tuberoid . An aerial shoot develops from the apical kidney of the tuberoid, which carries more or less modified alternating leaves and an inflorescence . The kidney, located underground in the sinus of scaly leaves, forms 1-3 daughter tuberoids, and in the internodes between these scaly leaves the additional roots are laid.

In some tropical species of the Lyubka genus ( Platanthera epiphytica , Platanthera angustata , Platanthera papuana , Platanthera arfakensis ), the aerial part is represented by two shoots at different stages of their development. In the first year, the shoot forms a rosette of several basal leaves, and the next year - a peduncle . By this time, a young vegetative shoot has already been formed.

The structure of the stem root tuberoid has an important taxonomic significance at the level of genera and species. Tuberoids of most species have a short stem-root part (less than 1 cm long) and in different species can vary greatly in degree of thickening.

The leaves are patchy, without pubescence, vary significantly in number, location on the stem, shape and size. All these characters have important taxonomic significance, especially for intrapartum classification. The shape of the leaf blade varies from linear to rounded.

Inflorescence is a terminal spike , numbering from 1-3 to 100 and even more flowers. The flower is located in the bosom of the bract, sessile, 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter. Perianth six. The middle sepal in most species is closely related to the side petals , forming the so-called helmet. The lip forms a spur at the base. Such features of the structure of the lips as the shape, the presence of thickenings, the length of the spur are of important systematic importance. In most species, the lip is whole, has a shape from narrow-lanceolate to rhombic. In the middle of the flower is a column (gynostemia) - a special organ characteristic of orchids, which forms when the stigma and stamens grow together . On the front of the column are the stigmas and two anthers . All members of the genus retain only one stamen. The adherent sticks to the head or other parts of the pollinator while visiting the flower in search of nectar . When flying away, the pollinator takes with it from the flower the entire pollinaria . After a while, the leg of the pollinaria attached to the pollinator dries up and bends a little so that when visiting other flowers, the pollinia touches the stigma of the flower, carrying out pollination . The ovary of all species is twisted 180 ° around its axis, so that the lip is located below the flower.

The fruit is a dry capsule that opens when ripe with six slots. Seeds are very small, 200-700 microns long. The seed has a single-layer seed coat of dead cells that surrounds the undifferentiated embryo . Endosperm is absent.

The most typical diploid number of chromosomes is 2n = 42. Polyploid species are found, in particular triploids ( Platanthera obtusata ), tetraploids ( Platanthera minutiflora ) and hexaploids ( Platanthera oligantha ). For individual species, cases of aneuploid changes in the karyotype were reported (2n = 16, 40, 32, 80) ^[3] .

In all modern works, including molecular phylogenetic studies, the Lyubka genus belongs to the tribe Orchideae of the subfamily Orchidoideae , which is determined by the rather close relationship of Lyubka and the type genus of the family , Orchis . The question of assigning a genus to any of the subtribes is solved differently by different authors ^[3] .

According to modern concepts, the following species are found in the flora of Russia ^[8] :

• Platanthera bifolia ( L. ) Rich. typus ^[9] - Lyuba bifolia
• Platanthera chlorantha ( Custer ) Rchb. - Lyubka green
• Platanthera densa freyn
  • Platanthera densa subsp. densa [ syn. Platanthera freynii Kranzl. - Lyubka Freyna]
  • Platanthera densa subsp. orientalis ( Schltr. ) Efimov [ syn. Platanthera chlorantha var. orientalis Schltr. ]
• Platanthera mandarinorum var. cornu-bovis ( Nevski ) Kitag. [ syn. Platanthera cornu-bovis Nevski - Luba bull horn] ^[10]
• Platanthera metabifolia F.Maek.
• Platanthera oligantha Turcz. ^[eleven]
• Platanthera ophrydioides F.Schmidt - Luba ofis
• Platanthera sachalinensis F.Schmidt - Lyubka Sakhalin
• Platanthera tipuloides ( Lf ) Lindl. - Lyuba komarnikovaya
  • Platanthera tipuloides var. tipuloides [ syn. Orchis tipuloides ]
  • Platanthera tipuloides var. sororia (Schltr.) Soó [ syn. Platanthera sororia Schltr. ]
  • Platanthera tipuloides var. behringiana ( Rydb. ) Hultén [ syn. Limnorchis behringiana ]

Intragenital hybridization is widespread.

Hybrids of the bifolia ( Platanthera bifolia ) and the green-flowered ( Platanthera chlorantha ) with some species of the genera Anacamptis , Pollepestnik ( Coeloglossum ), Palmatokorennik ( Dactylorhiza ), Kokuchnik ( Gymnade ) are also known hybrids.

List of natural hybrids according to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew :

• Platanthera × andrewsii ( M.White ) Luer , 1975 ( Platanthera lacera × Platanthera psycodes )
• Platanthera × apalachicola PMBr. & SLStewart , 2003 ( Platanthera chapmanii × Platanthera cristata )
• Platanthera × beckneri PMBr., 2002 ( Platanthera blephariglottis var. Conspicua × Platanthera cristata )
• Platanthera × bicolor ( Raf. ) Luer, 1972 ( Platanthera blephariglottis × Platanthera ciliaris )
• Platanthera × canbyi ( Ames ) Luer, 1972 ( Platanthera blephariglottis × Platanthera cristata )
• Platanthera × channellii Folsom , 1984 ( Platanthera ciliaris × Platanthera cristata )
• Platanthera × hollandiae Catling & Brownell , 1999 ( Platanthera lacera × Platanthera leucophaea )
• Platanthera × hybrida Brügger , 1880 ( Platanthera bifolia × Platanthera chlorantha )
• Platanthera × lueri PMBr., 2002 ( Platanthera blephariglottis var. Conspicua × Platanthera ciliaris )
• Platanthera × mixta Efimov , 2006 ( Platanthera densa × Platanthera metabifolia )
• Platanthera × okubo-hachijoensis K. Inoue , 1983 ( Platanthera angustata × Platanthera okuboi )
• Platanthera × ophryotipuloides K. Inoue, 1983 ( Platanthera mandarinorum × Platanthera tipuloides )
• Platanthera × osceola PMBr. & SLStewart , 2003 ( Platanthera chapmanii × Platanthera ciliaris )
• Platanthera × reznicekii Catling, 1999 ( Platanthera leucophaea × Platanthera psycodes )
• Platanthera × vossii FWCase , 1983 ( Platanthera blephariglottis × Platanthera clavellata )

Natural hybrids found in the flora of Russia ^[8] :

• Platanthera × graebneri ( M.Schulze ) Domin (Platanthera bifolia × Platanthera chlorantha)
• Platanthera × hybrida f. graebneri M.Schulze
• Platanthera × mixta Efimov (Platanthera densa × Platanthera metabifolia)

Lubes growing on the territory of Russia are not under the direct threat of extinction. Not a single species has been included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (1988) and its additions. But this does not mean that there is no need to protect certain species in specific regions of Russia. In many areas, species of this genus are very rare, which is usually associated with the rarity of the species at the border of its range . In such cases, even a small negative anthropogenic impact can lead to the complete disappearance of the species from the flora of a particular region. Many types of petals are listed in the regional Red Books and various lists of protected plants.

All species of the genus Platanthera are included in Appendix II of the CITES Convention. The purpose of the Convention is to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not endanger their survival.

Lyubka has a decorative and medicinal value. Dried young root tubers contain up to 50% mucus, starch, proteins, have enveloping and antitoxic effects.

• Vakhrameeva M.G., Denisova L.V., Nikitina S.V., Samsonov S.K. Orchids of our country . - M .: Nauka, 1991 .-- 224 p. - ISBN 5-02-004073-8 .
• Efimov P.G. Genus Platanthera ( Orchidaceae ) in the flora of Russia. 1. Types of subsections Platanthera section Platanthera // Botanical journal. - 2006. - T. 91 , No. 11 . - S. 1713-1730 .
• Efimov P.G. Genus Platanthera Rich. (Orchidaceae Juss.) And related births in the flora of Russia : Abstract of diss. learned for the competition step. Cand. biol. sciences. - SPB., 2007. (unavailable link)

• Platanthera taxonomy on the Tropicos site