台湾香荚兰 tai wan xiang jia lan

Vanilla griffithii H. G. Reichenbach var. formosana Ito; V. griffithii var. ronoensis (Hayata) S. S. Ying; V. ronoensis Hayata.

Stem climbing, to 3 m, with internodes 7-10 cm. Leaves alternate; blade narrowly ovate or elliptic-lanceolate, 10-20 × 4-8 cm, thickly fleshy, slightly reticulate veined, base obtuse and with a very short petiole, apex acuminate. Inflorescence axillary, very short, usually 2-flowered; floral bracts subtriangular, 1-1.5 cm; pedicel and ovary 4-5 cm. Flowers 5-6 cm in diam., whitish or tinged with greenish; lip adaxially red-striped, abaxially tinged with pink. Sepals similar, spreading, elliptic-oblanceolate or oblanceolate, 3.5-4 × 0.8-1 cm, apex recurved. Petals similar to sepals; lip 3.5-4 cm, basally connate for ca. 3/5 length to both sides of column forming a trumpet-shaped tube, margin undulate, apex dilated and slightly 3-lobed; lateral lobes rather large, incurved; mid-lobe subtriangular or orbicular, adaxially with 2 or 3 rows of papillae near apex; disk with a white brushlike appendage centrally. Column 2.5-3 cm, apex with 2 small wings; anther ca. 3 mm, fleshy. Fruit subcylindric, 7-10 cm, with 3 inconspicuous longitudinal ridges. Fl. and fr. Apr-Aug. 2n = 32*.

● Forests; below 1200 m. Taiwan.