ORCHIDACEAE
Gastrodia R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland.: 330 (1810).
Epiphanes Blume.
By: Bhakta B. Raskoti
Taxon Description
Holomycotrophic herbs. Rhizomes tuberous, cylindric, noded. Inflorescence terminal, with tubular or scalelike sheaths, few to many flowered or occasionally 1-flowered. Flowers campanulate, urceolate or tubular. Sepals and petals fused forming a perianth, apical portions free; petals smaller than sepals; lip enclosed within perianth tube, adnate to apex of column foot, usually clawed at base, 3-lobed or entire; disk with calli. Column elongate, with foot, winged toward apex, sometimes with a pair of toothlike projections at apex; anther filamentous; pollinia 2, granular-farinaceous, caudicle absent; stigma shield-shaped. Capsule erect.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 99 species, in Assam-Burma, South Asia, East Asia, South East Asia, Africa, Tibetan Plateau and Australasia. One species in Nepal.
1. Gastrodia falconeri (Falc.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem., Orchadian 12: 350 (1998).
Gamoplexis orobanchoides Falc., Proc. Linn. Soc. London 1: 320 (1847); Gastrodia orobanchoides (Falc.) Hook.f.
Plants up to 1 m tall. Tuber oblong, 4–6 × 2–3 cm. Stem 20–8 cm, with few sheaths. Inflorescence racemose, 15–30 cm; rachis with many-flowered. Floral bracts linear-lanceolate, 7–15 × 5–7 mm. Flower yellow-brownish, ca. 1 cm long. Pedicel and ovary 5–8 mm. Sepals and petals fused forming a perianth tube, 10–12 × 5–6 mm, apex free. Sepals broadly ovate (free portion), apex obtuse. Petals suborbicular (free portion), apex sub-acute. Lip adnate to tube and column foot, ovate, ca. 4–5 × 4 mm, entire, apex obtuse, margin undulate. Column 7–8 mm.
Distribution: Nepal and W Himalaya.
Altitudinal range: 2300–2400 m.
Ecology: Damp forests.
Flowering: July–August. Fruiting: September–October.