单叶石仙桃 dan ye shi xian tao

Pholidota wenshanica S. C. Chen & Z. H. Tsi.

Rhizome short, stout, 8-10 mm in diam., with scaly sheaths. Pseudobulbs borne close together, narrowly ovoid, oblong, or subcylindric, 2.5-8 cm × 6-12 mm, apex 1- or 2-leaved. Leaf blade narrowly elliptic, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate, 15-30 × 2-3.5 cm, apex acuminate; petiole 3.5-8 cm. Inflorescence arising from young pseudobulbs, with nearly mature leaf at anthesis, often ± pendulous, 13-25 cm or longer; sheaths 1.5-3 cm; rachis straight, laxly 12-35-flowered; floral bracts deciduous, elliptic or broadly ovate-rhombic, ± conduplicate, membranous. Flowers white and slightly tinged with pink, or yellowish brown, ca. 5 mm in diam., lip white, tinged with pale brown or with yellow blotches, stigma red; pedicel and ovary 3-4 mm. Sepals broadly ovate-elliptic, 5-7 × 3-6 mm, 7-veined, acute; lateral sepals dorsally carinate. Petals ovate-elliptic, 4-5 × 2.5-3 mm, 3-5-veined, obtuse; lip broadly oblong or subovate in outline, 5-6 × 3-3.5 mm, contracted into epichile and hypochile at apical 3/5; hypochile ca. 1 mm wide, shallowly cupular in center, margin spreading horizontally, with 3 or 4 thickened veins extending from base to above middle; epichile transversely oblong or elliptic, 4-5 mm wide, margin slightly undulate, apex emarginate. Column 2.2-3 mm, apex broadly winged. Capsule narrowly obovoid, ca. 2 cm × 5-6 mm; fruiting pedicel 2-3 mm. Fl. May, Dec.

Sparse forests, shaded rocks; 500-1600 m. N and W Guangxi, S Guizhou, SE Yunnan [Vietnam].

De Vogel (Orchid Monogr. 3: 116. 1988) stated in an addendum to his monograph of Pholidota that although he had not seen the holotype of P. wenshanica, "the description and the line drawings do agree so very well with Pholidota leveilleana Schltr. that I am convinced that it is conspecific with that species."