ORCHIDACEAE
Epipactis Zinn Cat. Pl. Hort. Gott.: 85 (1757).
By: Lokesh R. Shakya
Taxon Description
Plants sympodial, terrestrial, erect, with horizontal rhizome and numerous fleshy roots. Stem erect, leafy, with few sheaths towards base, glabrous or glabrous lower portion and upper portion pubescent. Leaves cauline, spirally arranged, broadly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, plicate, sheathing at the base. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, laxly to densely few to many flowered. Fertile bract foliaceous. Flowers spreading, resupinate, usually pendulous. Sepals and petals more or less spreading, free, subsimilar, broadly lanceolate or ovate, acuminate, strongly. Lip adnate to base of column, distinctly divided into hypochile and epichile; hypochile concave or saccate or boat shaped; epichile flat, more or less triangular. Column short; rostellum large and globose; pollinia 2, mealy.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide about 20 species, distributed in Europe, temperate Asia and N America. Three in Nepal.
Key to Species
1a. Flowers in dense racemes. Epichile ovate-triangular………………… 1. E. helleborine
- Flowers in lax racemes. Epichile narrowly ovate to broadly ovate-lanceolate ……………………… ………………………………. 2
2 a. Sepals pubescent. Hypochile trough-shaped……………………… 3. E. veratrifolia
- Sepals glabrous. Hypochile broadly saccate …………………….. 2. E. royleana
1. Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz, Stirp. Austr. Fasc. ed.2, 2: 467 (1769).
Serapias helleborine L., Sp. Pl.: 949 (1753).
Plants 30–90 cm tall. Rhizome short. Stem erect, leaves closely arranged, lower portion glabrous, the upper portion minutely pubescent, sheathed by 2–4 leaf-like bracts. Leaves 4–7, ovate-lanceolate or broadly elliptic, 5–13 X 2.5–7 cm, lower leaves sheath-like, acuminate. Inflorescence up to 30 cm, densely many-flowered, rachis up to 25 cm, pubescent. Fertile bract decreasing in size upward, lanceolate, 1–5 X 0.1–0.7 cm, acute. Flowers often pendent, greenish tinged with red or violet, lip olive to purple-brown, ca. 1.3–2 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 2-4 mm, tomentose. Sepals subequal, ovate-lanceolate. Dorsal sepal 8 mm. Lateral sepals 9 mm. Petals slightly shorter, elliptic, 5.5 X 2.5 mm, apex acute. Lip ca. 6–8 mm, hypochile cup shaped, epichile ovate-triangular with erose margins. Column ca. 4 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya and E Himalaya. Europe
Altitudinal range: 2600–3700 m.
Ecology: In open, moist ground.
Flowering: July – August.
2. Epipactis royleana Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 461 (1840).
Plants 40–90 cm tall. Rhizome elongate, creeping. Stem erect, glabrous, leafy, clothed at the base with broad loose sheaths. Leaves 6-8, plicate, alternately clasping the stem, ovate-elliptic to broadly lanceolate, 5–12 x 2–4.5 cm, acute. Inflorescence laxly many-flowered, 9.5–16 cm; peduncle glabrous to minutely pubescent. Fertile bract lanceolate, 1–4 X 0.3–0.7 cm, acuminate, exceeding the flower, foliaceous. Flowers ca. 2 cm across, distant, spreading, often pendent, sepals greenish-pink to plum-purple with dark red veins on outside, lip yellowish. Pedicel and ovary fusiform, 1.5 cm. Sepals subequal, glabrous, ovate-lanceolate. Dorsal sepal 13–14 X 5–7 mm, 5-veined. Lateral sepals 14–16 X 7 mm, slightly falcate, oblique, acute, 9-veined. Petals erect, ovate-elliptic, 12–14 X 5–7 mm, acute. Lip ca. 17 X 10 mm, hypochile concave, broadly saccate, veins prominent on outer surface, lateral lobes bluntly triangular, epichile narrowly ovate or ovate-lanceolate. Column ca. 5 mm,
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya and E Himalaya.
Altitudinal range: 2700–3700 m.
Ecology: Grassland on north-facing slopes.
Flowering: July – August.
3. Epipactis veratrifolia Boiss. & Hohen., Diagn. Pl. Orient. Ser. 1, 2 (13): 11 (1854).
Plants 40–90 cm tall. Rhizome short, woody. Stem straight or flexuous, densely leafy, glabrous below, minutely pubescent above. Leaves 3-5(-10) linear-lanceolate, 15–20 X 2–2.5 cm, acute to acuminate, sessile, papery. Inflorescence 10–15 cm, laxly many-flowered, rachis tomentose. Fertile bract variable, lower leafy, gradually becoming smaller upward, ovate to lanceolate, 10–15 mm, acute. Flowers ca. 2–3 cm across; spreading, greenish-purple. Sepals subequal, concave, spreading, pubescent. Dorsal sepal broadly lanceolate, 9.5 X 4.5 mm, 7-veined. Lateral sepals falcate, oblique, 13 X 6 mm, with 8 distinct veins, woolly on outer surface. Petals ovate, 10–13 X 5–6 mm, with branched veins. Lip ca.14 X 5 mm, slightly longer than sepals and petals; hypochile narrow, oblong, trough-shaped, bearing granular calli inside; epichile broadly ovate-lanceolate. Column 6 mm.
Distribution: Nepal and E Himalaya.
Altitudinal range: 700–1500 m.
Ecology: Moist grassy slopes.
Flowering: March – May.