无叶兰 wu ye lan

Aphyllorchis benguetensis Ames; A. prainii J. D. Hooker; A. purpurea Fukuyama; A. tanegashimensis Hayata; A. unguiculata Rolfe ex Downie.

Plants 43-70 cm tall. Rhizome short, creeping; roots spreading, stout. Stem with many membranous sheaths; proximal sheaths tubular, 0.5-2 cm; sterile bracts 1-1.3 cm. Inflorescence with few to 10 or more well-spaced flowers; rachis 10-20 cm; floral bracts reflexed, linear-lanceolate, 6-14 × 2-2.5 mm, shorter than pedicel and ovary. Flowers spreading ± horizontally, usually becoming pendulous, yellow or yellowish brown; ovary glabrous or sometimes slightly puberulent. Dorsal sepal cymbiform, oblong or obovate, 9-11 × 3-4 mm, 3-veined, apex obtuse; midrib of dorsal sepal scabrous near apex on abaxial surface; lateral sepals slightly shorter, not cymbiform. Petals suboblong, shorter and thinly textured; lip 7-9 mm, fleshy, contracted into epichile and hypochile toward base; hypochile slightly concave, ca. 2 mm, irregularly verrucose inside, with 2 triangular or triangular-lanceolate wings; epichile ovate, 5-7 mm, obscurely 3-lobed, margin slightly undulate. Column slightly arcuate, 7-10 mm, apex dilated. Fl. Jul-Sep. 2n = 40.

Open forests; 700-1500 m. E Guangxi, Guizhou, S Hainan, Hong Kong, C and N Taiwan, S and W Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].