疏茎贝母兰 shu jing bei mu lan

Pholidota suaveolens Lindley, Gard. Chron. 1856: 372. 1856; Pleione suaveolens (Lindley) Kuntze.

Rhizome stout, to 1 cm in diam., with dense, brown, scaly sheaths. Pseudobulbs ca. 6 cm apart on rhizome, somewhat lucid when dried, narrowly ovoid or linear-ovoid, 5.7-7 × ca. 1.5 cm, embraced by large sheaths (deciduous when old), with 2 leaves at apex. Leaf blade oblanceolate or oblong-oblanceolate, 30-38 × 5.5-6 cm, thickly papery, base contracted into a petiole 9-11 cm, apex acuminate. Inflorescence synanthous, ca. 20 cm, enclosed in sheaths initially except flowering part; rachis flexuous, ca. 10 cm, usually more than 10-flowered; floral bracts deciduous, oblong-ovate, ± cymbiform, ca. 2 cm, papery; pedicel and ovary 15-17 mm. Flowers white, with yellow spots on lip. Sepals suboblong, ca. 12 × 4-4.5 mm, 5-veined, apex acuminate. Petals oblong-lanceolate or narrowly ovate-oblong, ca. 12 × 3.5 mm; lip suboblong, ca. 1 cm, near or above middle contracted into hypochile and epichile or slightly 3-lobed; lateral lobes very small or inconspicuous; mid-lobe oblong-ovate; callus with 4 or 5 longitudinal lamellae, 3 lamellae extending from base of lip to base of mid-lobe, further 2 crenate lamellae on outside of existing lamellae extending from base of mid-lobe to tip of mid-lobe. Column 5-6 mm, both sides narrowly winged. Fl. May.

On rocks in evergreen broad-leaved forests; ca. 600 m. S Yunnan [NE India, Thailand].