美花卷瓣兰 mei hua juan ban lan

Cirrhopetalum rothschildianum O’Brien, Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 18: 608. 1895.

Rhizome stout, 5-7 mm in diam., densely with short tubular sheaths. Pseudobulbs well spaced, ovoid, ca. 3 cm in diam., with 1 leaf at apex. Petiole ca. 1 cm; leaf blade subelliptic, usually 9-10 × 2-2.5 cm, thickly leathery, apex obtuse and retuse. Scape from base of pseudobulb, erect, 20-24 cm, stout; umbel 4-6-flowered; peduncle ca. 4 mm in diam., sparsely with 3 tubular sheaths, ca. 1 cm; floral bracts lanceolate, ca. 1 cm, apex acuminate. Pedicel and ovary ca. 2 cm. Flowers large, purplish red. Dorsal sepal ovate, cymbiform, ca. 15 × 7 mm, abaxially sparsely papillate, margins fimbriate, apex caudate; fringes narrowly oblong, to 7 mm, easily falling away; lateral sepals lanceolate, 15-19 cm, abaxially densely papillate below middle, twisted near base, their upper edges connate forming a synsepal ca. 2 cm wide, apex long caudate. Petals ovate-triangular, ca. 10 × 4 mm, abruptly contracted above middle and caudate, margins fimbriate; lip ligulate-elliptic, ca. 1 cm, fleshy, ± conduplicate in basal half, base attached to end of column foot by a mobile joint, margins and adaxial surface densely fimbriate-hairy, apex obtuse. Column ca. 5 mm, with triangular, enlarged wings at middle; foot ca. 7 mm, with free part ca. 3 mm; stelidia suboblong, ca. 2 mm. Fl. unknown.

Tree trunks in dense forests; 1500-1600 m. S Yunnan [NE India].