ORCHIDACEAE
Anoectochilus Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 411 (1825).
Chrysobaphus Wall.
By: Bhakta B. Raskoti
Taxon Description
Terrestrial herbs. Rhizome decumbent, noded; nodes producing fibrous roots. Stem erect or ascending, with cluster of leaves above base. Leaves green to purplish black with pinkish, white, or golden reticulate venation, petiolate, ovate, elliptic-orbicular or velvety. Inflorescence racemose, pubescent; rachis laxly flowered. Flowers resupinate or not; ovary slender, twisted or not. Sepals similar; dorsal sepal hooded with petals, lateral sepals oblique. Petals oblique, oblong-elliptic to spathulate, free. Lip 3-lobed, hypochile spurred; mesochile lobulated, pectinate or filamentous; epichile entire or bilobed; spur horizontally protruding to ovary, with calli or septa. Column lamellated or winged; anther ovoid; pollinia 2, clavate, sectile, granular-farinaceous, viscidium ovate; rostellum bifid; stigma convex. Capsule ellipsoid.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 47 species, distributed inE Asia, S Asia, E Himalaya, SE Asia and Australasia.One species in Nepal.
1. Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl. in Royle, Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts.: 368 (1839).
Chrysobaphus roxburghii Wall., Tent. Fl. Napal.: 37 (1826); Anoectochilus latomaculatus Blume; Zeuxine roxburghii (Wall.) M. Hiroe.
Plants 16 cm tall. Stem erect, 3-leaved above base. Leaf surface above pale purplish red, surface below blackish purple with pinkish venation, ovate to ovate-orbicular, 2.5–4(–9) × 2–3(–5) cm, apex acute, petiole 0.5–1(–2) cm. Inflorescence 14 cm, with 3 sterile bracts, sterile bracts lanceolate, 10–15 × 3–4 mm, apex acute; rachis 3 cm, laxly 8-flowered. Floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, ca. 6–10× 2–4 mm, shorter than ovary, apex acuminate. Flowers sepals pinkish, petals and lip pinkish white, resupinate or not, ca. 15–20 mm. Ovary and pedicel cylindric, 8–10 mm, pubescent. Dorsal sepal ovate, ca. 4–10 × 2–3 mm, apex acuminate, pubescent outside.Lateral sepals oblong-elliptic, 6–8 × 2–3 mm, apexsubacute, pubescent outside. Petalsobliquely oblong-elliptic, 6–7 × 2–2.5 mm, apex acuminate.Lip 3-lobed, 10–20 mm; hypochile 2–4 mm, with conic spur at base; mesochile 4–5 mm,with laciniate filamentous flanges; epichile 2-lobed, lobes spatulate, 5–8 × 1.5–2.5 mm, apex obtuse, margin entire; spur 3–5 mm, apexbilobed, with 2 calli. Column ca. 2–4 mm, with lamellate wings.
Distribution: Nepal, E Asia, Tibetan Plateau, S Asia, E Himalaya, SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 300–1600 m.
Ecology: Broad-leaved forests, shady damp areas.
Flowering: August–December. Fruiting: September–March.
Dubious species
Anoectochilus brevilabris Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 499 (1840).
This has been reported from Nepal, but no specimens have been seen to confirm its presence.