ORCHIDACEAE
Pecteilis Rafinesque Fl. Tellur. ii. 37 (1836).
By: Lokesh Ratna Shakya
Taxon Description
Plants terrestrial herb medium to large-sized with elongate tubers. Stems erect, stout, cylindrical, glabrous or pubescent, leafy throughout, basal sheaths present. Leaves alternate, sheathing at base. Inflorescence racemose, erect, terminal, few-flowered. Sterile bracts foliaceous, sessile. Flowers mostly showy, creamy white or white. Sepals free, subsimilar, spreading. Petals much narrower than sepals, entire. Lip 3-lobed; lateral lobes spreading, crenulate, entire or pectinate; mid-lobe entire; spur longer than pedicel and ovary, slender. Column erect, short; anther locules widely spaced; pollinia 2, granular, clavate, sectile; caudicles slender; viscidia 2, small, each hidden in tubular fold, ovate to oblong.
Taxon Statistics
About nine species in SE Asia and from the Himalayas to Japan. Three species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1 a. Flowers ca. 3 cm across. Lip longer than the lateral sepals…………………………………………………………………..….. P. triflora
b. Flowers 6–9 cm across. Lip as long as the lateral sepals………………………………………………………………………………..………….……. 2
2 a. Petals as long as dorsal sepal. Lateral lobes of lip deeply pectinate ………………………………………………………………. P. gigantea
b. Petals much shorter than dorsal sepal. Lateral lobes of lip shortly pectinate………………………………………………… P. susannae
Pecteilis gigantea (Smith) Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2: 38, (1837).
Orchis gigantea Smith, Exot. Bot. 2: 79, t.100, 1906; Wall. 6, (1824).
Plant 40–90 cm. Tubers oblong, fusiform, 6 X 2 cm. Stems glabrous, leafy, with many blunt funnel-shaped sheaths at base; sheath 3–5 cm. Leaves 5–8, mostly on the middle portion of the stem, alternate, ovate-oblong, 10–14 X 4–6 cm, acute to acuminate, sheathed at the base, clasping. Inflorescence laxly 3–6-flowered, 15 cm. Fertile bracts lanceolate, acute to acuminate, 6.5 X 2 cm, foliaceous, longer than the ovary, entire. Flowers creamy white, fragrant, 6–8 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 5 cm. Dorsal sepal suborbicular, 3 X 2 cm, obtuse, 3-veined. Lateral sepals broadly ovate, 3.5 X 2 cm, oblique, subacute, 3-veined. Petals linear, falcate, 30 X 4 mm, acute, thick, 1-veined. Lip distinctly 3-lobed, 3–3.7 X 5.6–6.7 cm; lateral lobes broadly triangular, truncate, deeply pectinate; mid-lobe linear to oblong or linear-spathulate, obtuse; spur cylindric, 11 cm. Column broad, massive, ca. 2–2.3 cm.
Distribution: Nepal, India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Altitudinal range: 900–1800 m.
Ecology: Open grassy slopes.
Flowering time: August–September.
Pecteilis susannae (L.) Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2: 38, (1837).
Orchis susannae L., Sp. Pl. 2: 939.
Plant 40–90 cm. Tubers ovoid-cylindric 4–6 X 2 cm. Stems glabrous, with tubular sheaths at base; sheath 4–5 cm. Leaves 4 — 7, ovate-lanceolate, 6–12 X 3–5.5 cm, acute, sessile, sheathing at base. Inflorescence laxly 3-5 flowered, 6-15 cm. Fertile bracts lanceolate, acute, 3–4 X 2 cm, foliaceous, longer than the ovary, entire. Flowers white, fragrant, 6–9 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 4–7 cm. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate to suborbicular, 3 X 2 cm, obtuse, 7-veined. Lateral sepals broadly ovate, oblique, 2–4 X 1.5–2 cm, subacute, 5-veined. Petals linear-lanceolate, 6–11 X 2 mm acute, thick, 1 veined. Lip distinctly 3-lobed, 2.5–4 X 2.5–4 cm; lateral lobes broadly triangular, truncate, short pectinate; mid-lobe linear to oblong, obtuse 1.5–3 cm X 4–6 mm; spur cylindric, 7–12 cm, , straight to gradually curved forward. Column very broad, massive, ca. 2 cm.
Distribution: Eastern Nepal, NE India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Altitudinal range: 1000 – 1950 m.
Ecology:
Flowering time: August
Note: Pecteilis susannae is very similar to P. gigantea, but can reliably be distinguished by the key characters. It is known from only a single collection in Nepal (Stainton 1181).
Pecteilis triflora (D. Don) Tang and Wang in Acta Phytotax. Sin. 1: 62 (1951).
Habenaria triflora D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal, 25 (1825).
Plant 17–35 cm. Tubers cylindric, elongated, 2.5 X 1.5 cm. Stems slightly pubescent, leafy throughout, presence of basal sheaths, sheath 2 cm. Leaves 4–8, lower larger spreading, oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 4–8 X 1.5–2 cm, acute, upper narrower, acuminate. Inflorescence laxly 1-3-flowered, 3–5 cm. Fertile bracts lanceolate, acute, 2.5–3.5 X 0.5–1 cm, foliaceous, as long as or slightly longer than the ovary, entire. Flowers uniformly pure white, not fragrant, shortly pedicelled, 3 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 2.5 cm. Dorsal sepal broadly ovate, 1.3–1.5 X 1.2-1.3 cm, erect with recurved apices, 5-veined. Lateral sepals oblong-ovate, subfalcate, 1.4–1.6 X 0.8–1 cm, subacute, 5-veined. Petals small, linear, 7–8 X 2.5–3 mm, 1-veined. Lip distinctly 3-partite from the middle, flabelliform, 2.5–3.3 X 2–3.1 cm; lateral lobes semioblong, hatchet shaped, crenulate or entire; mid-lobe a little shorter, linear; spur slender, 4–4.4 cm, long, proximal end whitish color and distal end light green, straight, flattened near the tip, longer than the ovary. Column broad, quadrate, truncate, 1–1.2 cm.
Distribution: Nepal and India.
Altitudinal range: 1000–1200 m.
Ecology: Open grassy slopes.
Flowering time: August–October