Phaius mishmensis (Lindl. & Paxton) Rchb.

Kurzweil, Hubert, 2010, A precursory study of the Calanthe group (Orchidaceae) in Thailand, Adansonia (3) 32 (1), pp. 57-107 : 100-101

5. Phaius mishmensis (Lindl. & Paxton) Rchb. f.

Bonplandia 5: 43 (1857); Hooker, Flora of British In-

dia 5: 817 (1890); Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 89: 47

(1986); Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 114: 101 (1992);

Pearce & Cribb, Flora of Bhutan 3 (3): 303 (2002); Chen

et al., Flora of China, vol. 25: 291 (2009). — Limatodis

mishmensis Lindl. & Paxton, Paxton’s Flower Garden 3: 36

(1852). — Type: North-eastern India, Assam, Mishmee

Hills, Griffith s.n. (holo-, K).

Phaius roseus Rolfe , Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information Kew 1893: 6 (1893). — Type: West Africa (?), Scarborough s.n. (holo-, K!).

Calanthe crinita Gagnep. , Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, sér. 2, 3: 322 (1931). — Phaius crinita (Gagnep.) Seidenf. , Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, sér. 3, Bot. 71: 141 (1972). — Type: Vietnam, Tam-dao, Province Vinh-yen, Eberhardt 3694 (P!).

Calanthe ramosa Gagnep. , Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, sér. 2, 22: 626 (1950). — Type: Vietnam, between Dankia and Danle, Haut Donnai, 1500 m, 29.I.1934, Poilane 23521 (holo-, P!).

non Phaius mishmensis (Lindl. & Paxt.) Rchb. f.: Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part III: 329 (1961); Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part IV, 2: 792 (1965) which is P. indochinensis .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Northern, Nan, Doi

Khun Sathan, 19.XI.1993, Larsen et al. 44577 (AAU, C

spirit, SING). — Northern, Lampang, Jae Sawn National

Park, 30.X.1996, Maxwell 96-1425 (CMU [Sc], CMU

[Sc] spirit). — Northern, Phitsanulok, Phu Hin Rong

Kla, XI.[year not given], Koonkhunthod et al. 253 (BKF

spirit). — North-Eastern, Loei, Phu Luang, Baramee s.n.

(BCU spirit 008977); 15.XI.1968, Chermisirivatthana

1071 (BKF, C spirit); I.[year not given], Suddee & Puud-

jaa 527 (BKF spirit); Wichiansin et al. s.n. (BCU spirit

009168). — North-Eastern, Loei, Na Haew, 26.XI.1997,

Nanakorn et al. 9997 (QBG spirit). — Without locality, without collector 4 (BKF spirit).

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 89: fig. 21a, b (1986); Pearce & Cribb, Flora of Bhutan 3 (3): fig. 69m, n (2002); Pridgeon et al., Genera Orchidacearum 4: 150, fig. 275.1M-N (2005).

DESCRIPTION

Terrestrial herbs, evergreen, glabrous except for the lip and anther cap, 40-140 cm tall; stems cane-like, narrowly fusiform-cylindric, 15-65 × 1-1.9 cm, thickened, several-noded. Basal sheaths erect, tubular, c. 8 × 1.2 cm, the upper with a foliose blade up to 10 × 3.9 cm and thereby grading into the leaves. Leaves 4-7, arising from the upper part of the stem, elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, 15-50 × (3.5-) 5.8-7.8 cm, with petioles (3-) 9-23 cm long, sheathing leaf bases forming a pseudostem 5-14 cm long. Inflorescences 1-2, arising on the sides of the leafy shoot about one third or half-way up the stem; peduncles 20-27 cm long; sterile bracts 2-3, erect, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 1.9-4.1 cm long, sheathing; raceme lax, 10- to 15-flowered; rachis 17-32 cm long; floral bracts caducous, not seen. Flowers 50- 60 mm across, pink to purple or brownish red, lip pink or white and speckled with purple, turning yellow with age, lip hairs white, spur yellow-green. Ovary indistinguishable from the pedicel, 25-38 mm long. Sepals similar, spreading, obovate-lanceolate, acute, 5- or 7-veined, 25-37(-44) × 5-10(-12) mm. Petals similar but narrower, lanceolate-elliptic, obtuse or acute, 3- or 5-veined, 20-30(-39) × 4-8.3 mm. Lip 3-lobed, 24-31 × 15-31 mm, basally fused to the gynostemium for 2-3.5 mm, spurred, margin irregularly undulate; midlobe subquadrate to oblong, truncate or emarginate, 3-7 × 12-16 mm; side lobes erect, obtuse, 4-5 × 8-10 mm; disk with a fat hairy ridge along the proximal two thirds, with a glabrous lamellate callus near the apex; spur cylindric, often curved, 10-18 mm long. Gynostemium straight, 12-20(-24) mm long, with wide apical wings, anther cap sparsely hairy. Fruits ellipsoid, c. 14 × 6 mm.

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY

Found in the Northern and North-Eastern regions. Generally widespread on the Asian continent from

NE India to S China, and also recorded in S Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Found in evergreen forest from about 900 to 1300 m. Granite has been recorded as bedrock. Flowering mainly from October to November.

REMARKS

Phaius mishmensis differs from P. indochinensis in its longer spurs (longer than 10 mm; as opposed to mostly 4-6 mm in P. indochinensis ).