ORCHIDACEAE
Podochilus Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned.: 295 (1825).
By: Bhakta B. Raskoti
Taxon Description
Epiphytic or lithophytic herbs. Stems noded, covered with sheaths of leaves. Leaves articulate, distichous, alternate. Inflorescences lateral, terminal or both, few flowered. Floral bracts persistent. Flowers resupinate, white, flushed yellowish, half opening. Sepals and petals nearly similar, often adnate at base or free; lateral sepals forming a mentum with column foot. Petals smaller than dorsal sepal. Lip entire or 3-lobed, attached to column foot, with basal appendage. Column foot curved upward; pollinia 4, waxy, attached to viscidium with short caudicle. Capsule ovoid to ellipsoid.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 65 species in South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and Australasia. One species in Nepal.
1. Podochilus cultratus Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 234 (1833).
Plant 5–13 cm tall. Stems leafy, 4–12 cm. Leaves falcately lanceolate, 0.7–1.5 × 0.3–1 cm, distichous, apex acute. Inflorescence terminal or lateral, often rooting from node; rachis ca. 1 cm, 1–4-flowered. Floral bracts broadly ovate-lanceolate, 2–3 × 1 mm, apex acuminate. Flowers white flushed with pink, ca. 5 mm across. Pedicel and ovary ca. 1 cm. Sepals ovate, 2–4.5 × 1–1.5 mm, apex acute to subacute. Petals obovate, 1.5–3 × 3 mm, apex obtuse to subacute. Lip oblong, 1.5–3 mm, apex bilobed, base attached to base of the column foot. Column ca. 1–1.5 mm. Fruit ovoid, 5–8 × 2–3 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, Assam-Burma, E Himalaya and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 900–1000 m.
Ecology: Epiphytic on trees trunks or lithophytic exposed rocks in broad-leaved forests.
Flowering: May–July. Fruiting: August–October.