疏花虾脊兰 shu hua xia ji lan

Plants 35-70 cm tall. Rhizome inconspicuous. Pseudobulbs conic, ca. 1 cm in diam., with 2 or 3 sheaths. Leaves 2 or 3, basal, not well developed at anthesis, not deciduous; blade elliptic or obovate-lanceolate, 18-24 × ca. 8.5 cm, abaxially densely puberulent, 3-veined, apex acute; petiole-like base usually forming a pseudostem ca. 6 cm. Scape arising from leaf axil, erect, to 55 cm, densely puberulent; rachis to 28 cm, laxly 9-18-flowered; floral bracts persistent, lanceolate, 4-7 mm, glabrous, apex acuminate. Flowers yellow or yellowish green; pedicel and ovary ca. 20 mm, densely puberulent. Dorsal sepal oblong, 15-17 × 5-6 mm, abaxially puberulent, 4-6-veined, apex acute; lateral sepals oblong, slightly oblique, 15-17 × 4-5 mm, abaxially puberulent, 4- or 5-veined, apex acute. Petals subelliptic, 13-14 × ca. 4 mm, abaxially often puberulent at base, 3-5-veined, apex acute; lip adnate to entire length of column wings, ca. 10 × 12 mm, 3-lobed; lateral lobes oblong, ca. 6 × 3-6 mm, apex obliquely truncate; mid-lobe ca. 6 × 3 mm, base clawed, apex dilated, emarginate and mucronate in sinus; disk with 2 tall conspicuous ridges, central one thickened, lamellate and usually extending almost to apex of mid-lobe; spur straight or slightly arcuate, cylindric, 11-15 mm, slender, outside sparsely puberulent. Column wings decurrent to lip and connecting to ridges on disk; rostellum 2-lobed; lobes ca. 1 mm; pollinia nearly ovoid, nearly equal in size, ca. 1 mm. Fl. May.

● Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 1600-2100 m. W Hubei, Sichuan.