ORCHIDACEAE
Tainia Blume, Bijdr. Fr. Ned. Ind.: 337 (1825).
Mitopetalum Blume; Mishcobulbum Schltr.
By: Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti
Taxon Description
Terrestrial herbs. Rhizome with tubular scales with villous roots. Pseudobulb cylindric, erect with 1 or few internodes. Leaves petiolate, elliptic to ovate, margin entire. Inflorescence an erect terminal or lateral raceme; peduncle with few internodes; sheaths tubular; floral bracts triangular, persistent. Flowers resupinate, sepals and petals often spreading. Pedicel and ovary ribbed. Sepals petals ovate, elliptic or obovate to linear, entire. Petals ovate, elliptic or obovate to linear, entire. Lip 3-lobed, with keels; spur present or absent, if present saccate in shape. Column straight, foot indistinct; anther cap 4-celled; pollinia 8 or occasionally 6; viscidium lacking. Fruit ellipsoid
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 29 species, distributed in S Asia, E Asia, Assam-Burma, Australasia and Tibetan Plateau. One species in Nepal.
Tainia minor Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India. 5: 821 (1890).
Taxon Description
Plants 35–40 cm tall. Pseudobulbs cylindric, 4–5 × 0.5 cm, sheathed. Leaf 1, petiole 4.5–5.5 cm; lamina elliptic or lanceolate, 12–17 × 2.5–3 cm, apex acute. Inflorescence erect, longer than leaf; peduncle ca. 37–40 cm, base sheathed, sheaths 1–2, tubular, 4–6 cm, apex acute; rachis ca. 14–16 cm, laxly up to 10-flowered. Sterile bracts linear-lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.3–0.5 cm, apex acute. Floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, 2–4 × 2 mm, apex acute. Flowers sepals and petals pale purplish brown with deep purple spots, lateral lobes of lip white, tinged with pale purplish brown, mid-lobe white; ca. 1.7 cm across. Pedicel and ovary 6 mm. Dorsal sepal elliptic-ovate, ca. 10–16 × 1.5–3 mm, apex obtuse. Lateral sepals falcately oblong, ca. 10–15 × 1–3 mm, apex sub-acute. Petals elliptic, falcate, 1–1.5 × 1.5–4 mm, apex obtuse. Lip elliptic, ca. 10–15 × 5–9 mm, adnate to column foot, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, triangular, ca. 6 × 5 mm, apex acute; mid-lobe orbicular, ca. 5 × 5 mm, apex rounded and emarginated; disk with 5 lamellae. Column 7 mm. Fruit fusiform, 10–15 × 4–5 mm.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, C Asia, S Asia and Assam-Burma.
Altitudinal range: 1500–2200 m.
Ecology: Forest margins and shrub lands with humus rich soils.
Flowering: March–May. Fruiting: May–June.