ORCHIDACEAE
Spiranthes Rich., De Orchid. Eur.: 20 (1817).
By: Lokesh R. Shakya
Taxon Description
Plants terrestrial, small to medium-sized, unbranched, stems with fleshy swollen tuberous roots. Leaves several in a basal rosette. Inflorescence erect, terminal, densely many-flowered, spicate. Flowers small, arranged in dense spiral, resupinate, white, green or pink, not opening widely. Sepals subsimilar, 1-veined. Dorsal sepal free but adnate to the two petals to form hood over the column. Lateral sepals free, spreading, enclosing the base of the lip. Lip simple, longer than the other segments, running parallel to the column at the base, often recurved at the apex, rarely lobed, saccate or not at the base. Column short, erect; anther erect, on dorsal surface of column; pollinia 2, each deeply cleft, granular, attached to a terminal viscidium, rostellum erect, 2-lobed at apex.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide about 50 species, distributed in Eurasia to SW Pacific, N Africa and Central America to Carribean. One species in Nepal.
1. Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, Orchidaceae 2: 53 (1908).
Neottia sinensis Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 511 (1807).
Plants 12–40 cm tall. Roots hairy. Leaves 4–6 in a basal rosette, erect, thin-textured to fleshy, linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4–9 X 0.3–0.6 cm, acute or acuminate. Inflorescence 6–10 cm, spirally arranged, spicate; peduncle pubescent; rachis pubescent, spirally twisted. Sterile bracts 2 or 3, linear. Fertile bracts ovate-lanceolate, glabrous, acuminate. Flowers small, resupinate, white, pink or white. Dorsal sepal oblong or ovate, cymbiform, ca. 3 X 1 mm, acute. Lateral sepals lanceolate, ca. 3 X 0.8 mm, free, spreading. Petals linear 3 X 0.6 mm, obtuse, slightly narrower than the lateral sepals. Lip simple, oblong, ca. 3.6 X 1.5 mm, often recurved at the apex, rarely lobed, saccate or not at the base, base with large two glands. Column ca. 3 mm, short, erect.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya and Assam-Burma.
Altitudinal range: 600–2000 m
Ecology: Wet meadows.
Flowering: March–October.