ORCHIDACEAE
Schoenorchis Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 361 (1825).
By: Bhakta B. Raskoti
Taxon Description
Epiphytic herbs. Stems pendulous, noded. Leaves subterete or flat, fleshy, base sheathed. Inflorescence axillary, racemose or paniculate, many flowered. Flowers white or red-purple, half opening. Sepals similar, free. Petals free, smaller than sepals. Lip fleshy, adnate to base of column, spurred at base, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect; mid-lobe often spatulate. Column foot absent; anther and rostellum pointed; pollinia 4, in 2 groups, globose or subglobose, attached by a common stipe to a narrowly elliptic to ovate viscidium. Fruit ovoid or subovoid.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 30 species, in South Asia, East Asia, South East Asia, Tibetan Plateau, Australasia. One species in Nepal.
1. Schoenorchis gemmata (Lindl.) J.J. Sm. in Natuurk. Tijdschr. Ned.-Indië. 72: 100 (1912).
Saccolabium gemmatum Lindl. in Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 24 (Misc.): 50 (1838); Cleisostoma gemmatum (Lindl.) King & Pantl.; Gastrochilus gemmatus (Lindl.) Kuntze; S. hainanense Rolfe; Schoenorchis hainanensis (Rolfe) Schltr.
Plants 15–23 cm tall. Stems cylindric, 4–17 cm, 3–5 mm in diam., unbranched, noded, internodes 0.5–2 cm. Leaves linear-terete, (2–)4–10 × 0.3–0.4 cm, distichous, apex obtuse and obscurely 2- or 3-lobed. Inflorescences paniculate, 6–20 cm; peduncle sheathed, sheaths lanceolate, 6–10 × 2–3 mm; rachis 4–10 cm, densely many flowered. Floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1 × 1 mm, apex acute. Flowers sepals white or bright purple with white apices, petals bright purple, lip white with purple on spur and lateral lobes, 3–5 mm across. Pedicel and ovary 3–5 mm. Dorsal sepal ovate, 1.5–2 × 1 mm, apex obtuse. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate, 2–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, dorsally carinate, apex obtuse. Petals obovate, 1–1.5 × 1 mm, apex obtuse and emarginated. Lip spatulate, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, subovate, ca. 1.5–2 × 1 mm, apex obtuse; mid-lobe obovate-spatulate, 2–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, base clawed, apex obtuse. Spur conic, ca. 2 × 1 mm, apex obtuse. Column ca. 0.8 mm. Fruit ovoid, ca. 3–5 × 2–3 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, Assam-Burma, Tibetan Plateau, S Asia, E Himalaya, E Asia and SE Asia.
Altitudinal range: 800–1600 m.
Ecology: Montane forests.
Flowering: April–June. Fruiting: June–October.