Spathoglottis plicata Blume

  • Authority

    Ackerman, James D. 1995. An orchid flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 73: 1-203.

  • Family

    Orchidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Spathoglottis plicata Blume

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants caespitose terrestrials. Roots numerous, villous, 0.5-2 mm diam. Corms ovoid to fusiform, covered by leaf bases, 1-2 cm diam., 1.5-3 cm tall. Leaves to 7, sheathing; blades thin, elliptic lanceolate, cuneate, long-acuminate, to 1 mlong, 10 cm wide. Inflorescences lateral from the base of the pseudobulb, erect; peduncle sparsely bracteate, to 1 m high; raceme nodding apically, many-flowered; floral bracts broadly elliptic, acuminate, to 2 cm long and 8 mm wide. Flowers rose-colored, rarely white; resupinate; produced sequentially. Pedicellate ovary slender, slightly swollen and arched at the ovary, 3-3.5 cm long. Sepals spreading, slightly concave basally, 12-20 mm long, 6-10 mm wide; dorsal sepal elliptic, acute to obtuse; lateral sepals ovate elliptic, slightly oblique, acute. Petals broadly elliptic, obtuse, 14-20 mm long, 9-11 mm wide. Lip trilobed, ca. 17 mm long; lateral lobes erect, oblong-spatulate, perpendicular to the lip axis, ca. 8 mm long, 3.5 mm wide; middle lobe long-clawed, obcordate with paired yellow and pubescent calli at the base, ca. 8 mm wide. Column clavate, arched, apically winged, 11-14 mm long; pollinia in 2 groups of 4, clavate-compressed, attached to long, pollen-covered caudicles. Fruits pendent, cylindrical, 3.5 cm long. Chromosomes: 2n = 40, 60 (Teoh, 1980); 18, 40.

  • Discussion

    1. Spathoglottis plicata Blume, Bijdr. 401, t. 76. 1825. Type. Blume s.n., from Java (holotype, reported at B O , not seen). Phenology & Pollination. Plants bloom in the fall and winter and perhaps sporadically throughout the year. The flowers self-pollinate (Brooks & Hewitt, 1909; Kirchner, 1922). Taxonomic Notes. The type is supposedly at BO, but M. Nir (pers. comm., 1993) could not find it, and the herbarium had no record of loaning it to anybody.

  • Distribution

    General Distribution. India, New Guinea to New Caldedonia and the Philippines, and Southeast Asia. Naturalized in many parts of the tropics.

    India Asia| New Guinea Indonesia Asia| New Caledonia Philippines Asia| Asia| Puerto Rico South America| United States Virgin Islands South America|