天府虾脊兰 tian fu xia ji lan

Plants 30-45 cm tall. Pseudobulbs short, partially covered with sheaths. Leaves 4 or 5, not deciduous; blade narrowly oblong, 30-40 × 1.5-2.6 cm, apex acute; petiole-like base sheathing, ca. 15 cm, usually forming a pseudostem 3-4 cm. Scape arising from leaf axil, to 65 cm, densely puberulent, with a sheath near middle; rachis ca. 20 cm, laxly many flowered; floral bracts persistent, narrowly lanceolate, 15-20 mm, glabrous, apex acute. Flowers yellowish green, tinged with brown, opening widely; pedicel and ovary ca. 20 mm, densely puberulent. Sepals similar, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 16-25 × 4.2-6 mm, abaxially sparsely puberulent, 5-veined, apex acute; lateral sepals somewhat oblique, abaxially sparsely puberulent only at base. Petals linear, 12-24 × 2-2.4 mm, glabrous, 1-3-veined, apex acute; lip adnate to entire length of column wings, 8-12 × 6-11 mm, 3-lobed; lateral lobes ovate-triangular, small, apex acute; mid-lobe purplish red, rhombic-obovate, 6-11 × 6-11 mm, margin undulate and slightly erose, apex acute; disk glabrous or sparsely puberulent; spur slightly curved, cylindric, ca. 6 × 1 mm, outside puberulent. Column ca. 5 mm, dilated toward apex, sparsely puberulent; anther cap beaked; pollinia narrowly ovoid, unequal in size; rostellum 2-lobed; lobes ca. 1.7 mm. Fl. Jul-Aug.

● Damp places in dense forests; 1300-1700 m. Chongqing, S Gansu, W Guizhou, NE and S Sichuan.