Phaius wallichii Lindl.

Kurzweil, Hubert, 2010, A precursory study of the Calanthe group (Orchidaceae) in Thailand, Adansonia (3) 32 (1), pp. 57-107 : 97-100

3. Phaius wallichii Lindl.

In N. Wallich, Plantae Asiaticae Rariores 2: 46, pl. 158 (1831); Hooker, Flora of British India 5: 816 (1890); Cribb et al., Kew Bulletin 59: 549 (2004); Pridgeon et al., Genera Orchidacearum 4: pl. 44 (2005); Cribb, Orchid Review 116: 332 (2008); Chen et al., Flora of China, vol. 25: 292 (2009). — India, Sylhet, Wallich s.n., Wallich’s Catalogue 3747 (holo-, K-WALL!; iso-, BM).

Phaius bicolor Lindl. , Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants : 128 (1831). — Type: Sri Lanka, Macrae 24 (holo-, K!).

Phaius longicornu Guillaumin , Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, sér. 2, 29: 348 (1957). — Type: Vietnam, Dalat Reg., near Gougah and Manline, 26.IV.1955, C.R. S.T. 211 (holo-, P!).

Phaius magniflorus Z.H.Tsi & S.C.Chen, Acta Phytotaxonomia Sinica 32: 560 (1994). — Type: China, Yunnan, Mengla , 900 m, in forest, 10.V.1991, Tsi 91-564 (holo-, PE).

(For a complete synonymy see Cribb et al. 2004) ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Northern, Mae Hong Son, Mae Sariang, 20.III.1966, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 5257 (C spirit). —?Northern, Chiang Mai, Mae Sanam, Pooma s.n. ( BKF spirit). — Northern, Chiang Mai, Omkoi, III. 1969, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 5025 (C spirit). — Northern, Chiang Mai, 6.III.1971, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 7677 (C spirit). — North- Eastern, Phetchabun, 20.III.1966, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 5644 (C spirit) .

ILLUSTRATIONS. —?Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part III: pl. XIV (2327) (1961) [as Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L’Hér.) Blume ]; Tsi & Chen, Acta Phytotaxonomia Sinica 32: p. 554, figs 13-17 (1994) [as P. bannanensis Z.H.Tsi & S.C.Chen ]; Pearce & Cribb, Flora of Bhutan 3 (3): pl. 11 (2002) [as P. tankervilleae (Banks ex L’Hér.) Blume ]; Cribb et al., Kew Bulletin 59: figs 3, 4 (2004); Pridgeon et al., Genera Orchidacearum 4: pl. 44 (2005); Cribb, Orchid Review 116: pl. on pages 329 and 331 (2008).

DESCRIPTION

Terrestrial herbs, evergreen; stems pseudobulbous. Basal sheaths not seen. Pseudobulbs inconspicuous,

ovoid or fusiform, 10-14.5 × 4.5-5.7 cm, close together, several-noded. Leaves c. 4, elliptic, acute, 49-70 × 15-24 cm; indistinctly petiolate. Inflorescences arising from the middle of the pseudobulb; sterile bracts several, scattered along the flowering stem and a few clustered at its base, erect, lanceolateoblong, acute, sheathing, slightly pilose; raceme erect, lax, 4- to 15-flowered; floral bracts caducous, 30-50 mm long. Flowers: sepals and petals greenish yellow on both sides, lip white with a red disk and yellow lines in the throat; flowers spreading, sepals and petals similar, lying in one plane and facing downward. Ovary indistinguishable from the pedicel, 40-55 mm long. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, acuminate or long-acuminate, 7-veined, in the examined Thai material to 68 mm long and 12- 18 mm wide. Petals lanceolate-elliptic, acuminate, 5-veined, to 63 × 12-17 mm. Lip 3-lobed with its midlobe clearly protruding, 45-65 × 27-53 mm, obovate, acute, base united with the gynostemium, spurred, front margins crispate-undulate; midlobe ovate, 25-30 mm wide; side lobes curved upwards and enveloping the gynostemium; callus as three obscure keels; spur in the examined Thai material 11-15 mm long, almost always apically bifid. Gynostemium 16-18 mm long. Fruits as in Phaius tankervilleae .

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY

In Thailand recorded in the North and North-East. Elsewhere the species is widely distributed from the Himalayas eastwards as far as S China and southward to Sri Lanka and possibly Sumatra. The habitat ecology has not been recorded; one of the confirmed collections was made at 1100 m. Thai specimens for which dates were recorded were collected in March.

REMARKS

The species was previously included in the concept of the preceding species Phaius tankervilleae and is therefore found under this name in most herbarium, spirit and living collections, but was recently resurrected following the studies of Cribb et al. (2004) and Cribb (2008). As some of the differentiating characters are found in the flower colour it is difficult to re-identify preserved specimens. Although Phaius wallichii was listed as occurring in Thailand by Cribb et al. (2004) and Cribb (2008), no particular Thai specimens were cited.

4. Phaius indochinensis Seidenf. & Ormerod ( Fig. 10 )

Opera Botanica 124: 17 (1995) . — Type: Thailand, Phetchabun Province, Thung Salaeng Luang, Salaeng Haeng River , 24.II.1964, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 5603 (holo-, C spirit!).

Phaius mishmensis auct. non (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).

Phaius indigoferus auct. non Hassk.: Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 89: 49 (1986); Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 114: 101 (1992).

Phaius brevicalcaratus ms. (name in the spirit collection at C).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — North-Eastern, Loei, Na Haew, Nanakorn et al. 10443 ( QBG spirit). — North-Eastern , Loei, Phu Krading , XII. 1958, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 3068 (C spirit); XII. 1958, Sørensen et al. 6196 (C). — North-Eastern, Loei, Dee 407 ( BKF); 460 ( BKF). — North-Eastern, without exact locality, Thaithong 1618 ( BCU spirit). — South-Eastern, Chanthaburi, Khao Soi Dao, Chatchai s.n. ( BCU spirit 009045); 12.XII.1924, Kerr 0201 ( BK, C, K); 13.XI.1969, v. Beusekom & Smitinand 2177 (L). — South-Eastern, Chanthaburi, Khao Soi Dao Nua, XII. [year not given], Harwood 2002 ( BKF spirit). — Peninsular, Chumphon, Thorut 7 ( BCU spirit). — Peninsular, Pattani, Kao Kala Kiri, 9.IX.1923, Kerr 0107 (C spirit, K). — Without locality, 2.XII.1995, Thorut 603 (Suan Luang) .

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part III: fig. 250a, b (1961) [as Phaius mishmensis (Lindl. & Paxt.) Rchb. f.]; Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 89: fig. 22a-g, pl. IVa (1986) [as P. indigoferus Hassk. ]; Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 114: fig. 54a-g (1992) [as P. indigoferus Hassk ].

DESCRIPTION

In Thailand terrestrial herbs, evergreen, glabrous except for the lip, the gynostemium and sometimes also the inflorescence stalks, 60-94 cm tall; stems elongate-fusiform and cane-like, 33-45 × 1-1.2 cm, thickened,several-noded.Basal sheaths erect, tubular, 6.3-10 × 0.9-1.8 cm, the upper with a foliose blade up to 10 × 4.5 cm and thereby grading into the leaves. Leaves 4-5, lanceolate-elliptic,acute, arising from the upper part of the stem, about (20-)30-50 × (4.3-)5- 8(-10) cm, with petioles 2-13(-33) cm long; sheathing leaf bases forming a pseudostem 5-13 cm long. Inflorescences 1-2, arising on the leafy shoot about one third or half-way up the stem, usually glabrous but sometimes sparsely puberulous; peduncles 30-52 cm long; sterile bracts 3-4,erect, lanceolate-elliptic,acute, 2.9-5.8 cm long, sheathing, sometimes decayed with only the veins remaining or fallen off altogether at the flowering time; raceme lax, 5-12-flowered; rachis (6.5-) 12-23 cm long; floral bracts caducous, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acute, 20-30 mm long, nearly the same length as the pedicel plus the ovary. Flowers: sepals and petals brownish-yellow or white on the outside, brownish-purple with yellow edges or “gold yellow with heavy purple streaks” on the inside, lip white or golden yellow with reddish brown stripes and many red-purple dots, apical part nearly pure yellow. Ovary indistinguishable from the pedicel, 20-38 mm long. Sepals spreading, obovate-lanceolate, shortly apiculate, 5- or 7-veined, 26-40(-47) × 6-13 mm. Petals similar,narrowly lorate-elliptic,obtuse, 5-veined, 28-36(-42) × 3-6(-8) mm. Lip 3-lobed, 21-32 × 15- 31 mm, basal 6-8 mm united with the gynostemium and free above, spurred, upper surface hairy on the median callus, sometimes also the basal part of the lip outside shortly hairy; midlobe rounded square, truncate, apiculate, 3-9(-12) × 6-13 mm, apical part slightly erose, apex mostly decurved; side lobes erect but their tips spreading, triangular, obtuse, 5-10 × 6-12 mm; a broad fat callus along the median line of the lip nearly over its entire length, proximal part finely pubescent, in the middle a short widened part with raising edges, on the lip epichile the callus narrowing and apically rugose, with scattered long white hairs; spur conical, (2-) 4-6 mm long. Gynostemium 19-22 mm long, sparsely hairy, with broad wings in the apical portion. Fruits ellipsoid, 25-48 × 5-15 mm.

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY In Thailand found in the North-Eastern, South- Eastern and Peninsular regions. Also recorded in Indochina. Found in dry evergreen forest, often near streams, from about 500 to 1300 m. Flowering mainly from November to December.

REMARKS

The occurrence of the Javanese Phaius indigoferus Hassk. was reported in Thailand by Seidenfaden (1986) but was later found to be the result of a misidentification as the Thai specimens differ from this species considerably in the colour pattern of the flower and in the lip shape. They were therefore separated into a new species P. indochinensis Seidenf. & Ormerod.

While the Thai populations are said to be terrestrial, an epiphytic habitat of this species in Laos was recorded by Schuiteman et al. (2008).

Figures

FIG. 10.— Phaius indochinensis Seidenf.& Ormerod:A, top of plant;B, flower;C, lip; D, section through gynostemium and lip; E, gyno- stemium;F, operculum and pollinia; G, operculum.Seidenfaden & Smitinand 5603 (type specimen).Reproduced with permission from the University of Copenhagen, drawn by Poul Juul. Scale bars: A, 5 cm; B, 3 cm; C, D, 2 cm; E, 1 cm; F, G, 3 mm.