ORCHIDACEAE - China

464EPIDENDROIDEAESix described species: Bhutan, China, NE India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam; two species in China, plus one undescribed species (see notebelow).A third, as yet undescribed, apparently endemic species has been identified from S Yunnan, where it seems to be rather more common thaneither Stereochilus brevirachis or S. dalatensis (Perner, pers. comm.). It has the short inflorescence of S. brevirachis but has flowers with pink liplateral lobes and a glabrous pedicel and ovary.1a. Inflorescences shorter than leaves; pedicel and ovary pubescent .............................................................................. 1. S. brevirachis1b. Inflorescences longer than leaves; inflorescence and ovary glabrous ......................................................................... 2. S. dalatensis1. Stereochilus brevirachis Christenson, Orchid Digest 62:123. 1998.短 轴 坚 唇 兰 duan zhou jian chun lanStems to 1.5 cm. Leaves 4–6, arcuate, linear, to 4.8 × 0.8cm, dorsally carinate, apex obliquely minutely bilobed. Inflorescenceslaxly pendulous, somewhat zigzag, dark green, mottledpurple, to 4.5 cm; floral bracts lanceolate, much shorterthan ovary, acute. Flowers 2–5 per inflorescence; sepals, petals,and spur pale yellow to pale pink, lip mid-lobe magenta, laterallobes yellow-orange, anther cap white with a central purplestripe; pedicel and ovary terete, to 12 mm, pubescent. Dorsalsepal elliptic, to 5 × 3 mm, concave, obtuse-rounded; lateral sepalsobovate, to 5 × 4 mm, concave, obtuse-rounded. Petals oblong,to 6 × 2 mm, obtuse; lip 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, transverse,abruptly narrowed and strongly incurved at apex; midlobeovate, to 5 × 4 mm, obtuse, anterior callus a low transverseridge at base, posterior callus a low keel from apex to spur tobase of column surmounted by a large, reniform, bilaterallycompressed callus; spur subparallel to ovary, ca. 4 mm, flattenedon top and bottom, minutely bilobed at apex. Column ca.3 mm; pollinarium to 4 mm. Fl. Jun.Yunnan (without precise locality) [S Vietnam].2. Stereochilus dalatensis (Guillaumin) Garay, Bot. Mus.Leafl. 23: 205. 1972.坚 唇 兰 jian chun lanSarcanthus dalatensis Guillaumin, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist.Nat., sér. 2, 27: 397. 1955.Stems to 10 cm. Leaves to 12, distichous, dark green, oftenspotted purple, oblong-elliptic, ca. 5 × 0.5 cm, distinctly V-shaped in cross section, fleshy, apex rounded. Inflorescenceaxillary, borne from upper part of stem, 3–4 cm, laxly up to ca.8-flowered; floral bracts ovate, minute, rounded. Flowers ca. 1cm in diam.; sepals and petals white, lip light purple, hypochileyellow inside, anther cap deep purple; pedicel and ovary ca. 1cm, glabrous. Sepals glabrous; dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, ca.5 × 3 mm, rounded; lateral sepals almost rhomboid, subspatulate,ca. 5 × 4 mm, 3-veined, rounded. Petals spatulate, ca. 5 ×4 mm, 1-veined, rounded; lip ligulate, ca. 5 mm, fleshy; laterallobes obscure, rounded; mid-lobe ovate; spur pendulous, cylindric,ca. 5 mm; posterior callus papillose, sulcate in middle.Column ca. 4 mm; rostellum pendulous, long; anther cap narrowlytriangular.Yunnan (without precise locality) [Thailand, S Vietnam].165. ESMERALDA H. G. Reichenbach, Xenia Orchid. 2: 38. 1862.花 蜘 蛛 兰 属 hua zhi zhu lan shuChen Xinqi ( 陈 心 启 Chen Sing-chi); Jeffrey J. WoodHerbs, epiphytic, monopodial, erect or pendulous, large. Roots aerial, piercing through leaf sheaths along stem. Stem scandent,terete, stout, with many nodes. Leaves distichous, flat, usually oblong, twisted (to lie in one plane), thickly leathery, base sheathing,jointed, apex unequally bilobed. Inflorescence lateral, erect, racemose, few flowered; floral bracts persistent, scarious, sheathing.Flowers large, showy, thickly textured. Sepals and petals free, similar, spreading, overlapping, ovate to oblong. Petals slightly smaller;lip free, pendulous, movable, 3-lobed; lateral lobes small; mid-lobe reniform, clawed, margin crenate; disk 2-callose. Columnshort, stout, both sides winged, foot absent; anther cap terminal; pollinia 4, in 2 pairs, waxy, dorsally compressed, subglobose, unequalin size, attached by a triangular stipe to a large, saddle-shaped viscidium.Three species: China, Himalayas, Myanmar, Thailand; two species in China.1a. Lateral lobes of lip subovate or nearly suborbicular; disk without a lidlike appendage at base; sac ca. 5 mm .............. 1. E. clarkei1b. Lateral lobes of lip subsquare; disk with a movable lidlike appendage at base; sac ca. 3 mm ........................................... 2. E. bella1. Esmeralda clarkei H. G. Reichenbach, Gard. Chron., n.s.,26: 552. 1886.花 蜘 蛛 兰 hua zhi zhu lanArachnanthe clarkei (H. G. Reichenbach) Rolfe; Arachnisclarkei (H. G. Reichenbach) J. J. Smith; Vanda clarkei (H. G.Reichenbach) N. E. Brown.Stems rigid, to 1 m tall, stout, 7–10 mm in diam., internodes2–3 cm, branched, covered by leaf sheaths. Leaves distichous;leaf blade narrowly oblong, 13–25 × 1.7–3 cm, leathery,obtuse and slightly unequally bilobed. Inflorescence to 32cm, unbranched, 3- or 4-flowered; peduncle 3–5 cm, stout, with2 or 3 sheaths; rachis 12–15 cm, weakly zigzag; floral bractsbroadly ovate, 1–1.7 cm. Flowers slightly fragrant, openingwidely, pale yellow with reddish brown transverse stripes,5.5–7.5 cm in diam., thickly textured; pedicel and ovary ca. 3cm. Dorsal sepal oblanceolate-elliptic, ca. 3.5 × 1–1.2 cm,obtuse; lateral sepals obovate-elliptic, falcate, 3–3.2 × 0.9–1.2cm. Petals subspatulate, falcate, 2.8–3.1 × 0.9–1.1 cm, obtuse;