ORCHIDACEAE
Anthogonium Wall. ex Lindl. Nat. Syst. Bot., ed. 2: 341 (1836).
By: Lokesh R. Shakya
Taxon Description
Plants sympodial, terrestrial. Pseudobulb small, ovoid, partly subterranean. Stem short, leafy, arising from pseudobulb. Leaves membranous, oblong or elliptic, sessile. Inflorescence basal from the side of the pseudobulb, exceeding the leaves, racemose. Flowers resupinate, not opening widely, somewhat tubular. Sepals connate to form a sepaline tube, gibbous at base. Petals elongate-spathulate. Lip simple, adnate to the column base, oblong, apex obscurely 3-lobed. Column long, slender, apex dileted and abruptly bent; pollinia 4, without caudicle and viscidium.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide one species, distributed in E Himalaya to S China and Sri Lanka.
1. Anthogonium gracile Wall. ex Lindl. Nat. Syst. Bot., ed. 2: 341 (1836).
Plants 10–30 cm tall. Pseudobulbs about 1–1.5 cm diam., with nodes. Stem slender, sheathed at the base, 2–5-leaved at apex, 3–6.5 cm long. Leaves 2 or 3, sessile, oblong-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 10–30 X 0.5–3 cm, acuminate, many-veined. Inflorescence scape arising from the side of the pseudobulb, erect, 10–30 cm, laxly 5-10-flowered; peduncle slender, glabrous, sheathed; sheath tubular. Fertile bracts lanceolate, 5–7 mm. Flowers ca. 2–3 cm, dark pink to white, lip spotted dark purple, pedicel and ovary 1–2 cm. Sepals subsimilar, 1–2 cm, oblanceolate, subacute, connate in lower half to form a narrow, cylindric sepaline tube, upper half free, spreading. Petals 1–1.6 cm, elongate-spathulate, linear at base. Lip ca. 1 X 0.8 cm, adnate to column base, simple; base narrow, expanding towards apex; apex obscurely 3-lobed. Column ca. 8 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, W. Himalaya, E Himalaya, Assam-Burma and S E Asia.
Altitudinal range: 1000-2400 m.
Ecology: Terrestrial on humus-rich slopes.
Flowering: August – October.