Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, Orchidaceae 2 (1908) 53

Synonyms:

  • Neottia sinensis Pers., Syn. Pl. 2 (1807) 510
    - Type: Anonymus s.n. (China, Canton) (holo UPS)
  • Ophrys spiralis Georgi, Bemerk. Reise Russ. Reich. 1 (1775) 232 (non L.)
    - Type: ?
  • Spiranthes spiralis (Lour.) Makino, J. Jap. Bot. 3 (1926) 25 (non A. Rich.)
  • Aristotelea spiralis Lour., Fl. Cochinch. 2 (1790) 522
    - Type: ?
  • Epidendrum aristotelia Raeusch., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 3 (1797) 265 (nom. nud.)
    - Type: ?
  • Spiranthes aristotelia (Raeusch.) Merr., Philipp. J. Sci. 15 (1919) 230
  • Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. (1824) sub t. 823
  • Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames var. australis (R.Br.) Hara & Kitam., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 36 (1985) 93
  • Gyrostachis australis (R.Br.) Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 108
  • Monustes australis (R.Br.) Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836, publ. 1837) 87
  • Neottia australis R.Br., Prodr. (1810) 319
    - Type: Not designated: around Port Jackson including Hunter's R. and Coal R.
  • Calanthe australis (R.Br.) Aiton ex Loudon, Hort. Brit., new ed., Suppl., 2 (1839) 615
  • Neottia amoena M.Bieb., Fl. Taur. Cauc. 3 (1819) 606
    - Type: ?
  • Gyrostachis amoena (M.Bieb.) Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 108
  • Spiranthes amoena (M.Bieb.) Spreng., Syst. Veg. 3 (1826) 708
  • Spiranthes flexuosa (Sm.) Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. (1824) sub t. 823
  • Neottia flexuosa Sm. in Rees, Cyclop. 24 (1819) n. 9
    - Type: ?
  • Spiranthes parviflora (Sm.) Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. (1824) sub t. 823
  • Neottia parviflora Sm. in Rees, Cyclop. 24 (1819) n. 10
    - Type: ?
  • Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl. var. pudica (Lindl.) Lindl., J. Bot. 7 (1855) 38
  • Neottia pudica (Lindl.) Sweet in Loudon, Hort. Brit., ed. 2 (1830) 485
  • Spiranthes pudica Lindl., Coll. Bot. (1821) t. 30
    - Type: Wallich s.n. (Nepal) (holo K)
  • Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl. var. wightiana Lindl. ex Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6 (1890) 102
    - Type: ?
  • Spiranthes crispata (Blume) Zoll. & Moritzi, Syst. Verz. (1846) 89
  • Neottia crispata Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 406
    - Type: Blume 1739 (Mt. Galungung, Tjanjor Prov.) (holo L)
  • Gyrostachys wightiana (Lindl.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. (1891) 663
  • Spiranthes wightiana Lindl. in Wall., Numer. List (1829) n. 7378 (nom. nud.)
    - Type: ?
  • Spiranthes densa A.Rich., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 2, 15 (1841) 79
    - Type: Perrottet s.n. (India, Neilgherries, Dodabetta) (holo P)
  • Spiranthes indica Lindl. ex Steud., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 2 (1841) 625
  • Spiranthes longispicata A.Rich., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 2, 15 (1841) 78
    - Type: Perrottet s.n. (India, Neilgherries, Otacamund) (holo P)
  • Spiranthes novaezeylandiae Hook.f., Fl. Novae Zelandiae 1 (1853) 243
    - Type: Colenso s.n. (New Zealand, N. Isl.) (holo K)
  • Spiranthes stylites Lindl., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 1 (1857) 178
    - Type: Fortune s.n. (China, Che-Kiang) (holo K)
  • Gyrostachys stylites (Lindl.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. (1891) 664
  • Gyrostachis australis (R.Br.) Blume var. wightiana Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 108
    - Type: ?
  • Gyrostachis australis (R.Br.) Blume var. flexuosa Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 109, t. 38, fig. 2
    - Type: ?
  • Gyrostachis australis (R.Br.) Blume var. crispata Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 109, t. 37, fig. 3
    - Type: ?
  • Gyrostachis australis (R.Br.) Blume var. parviflora Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 109
    - Type: ?
  • Gyrostachis australis (R.Br.) Blume var. amoena Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 108
    - Type: ?
  • Gyrostachis pusilla Blume, Fl. Javae, n.s., 1 (1858) 109, pl. 45, f. 1, pl. 48 C; Coll. Orchid. (1858)
    - Type: Korthals? s.n. (Sumatra, Palembang) (holo L)
  • Spiranthes pusilla (Blume) Miq., Fl. Ned. IndiƱ3 (1859) 722
  • Spiranthes neocaledonica Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 39 (1906) 51
    - Type: Schlechter 15594 (New Caledonia) (holo B, lost)
  • Spiranthes papuana Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 46
    - Type: Schlechter 18338 (holo B, lost); para: 19689 (B, lost)
  • Spiranthes angustilabris J.J.Sm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 12 (1913) 394
    - Type: Gjellerup 1191 (holo BO; iso L)
  • Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl. var. suishaensis Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formos. 6 (1916) 86
    - Type: Hayata s.n. (IV-1916, Taiwan, Suisha 2500 ft.)
  • Spiranthes suishaensis (Hayata) Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 4 (1919) 161 ('suishanensis')
  • Spiranthes viridiflora Makino, J. Jap. Bot. 4 (1927) 10
    - Type: ?

Basionym: Neottia sinensis

Terrestrial herb 8-40 cm tall. Roots fleshy, tuberous, cylindrical, hairy. Leaves mostly basal, varying greatly in size and shape, oblong-elliptic to linear-elliptic, up to 20 by 1 cm, often smaller. Inflorescence terminal, erect, slender, rather densely or subdensely many-flowered. Flowers arranged spirally on the rachis, probably self-pollinating, scented, semi-open. Median sepal ovate, 0.32-0.4 by 0.14 cm. Lateral sepals oblong-lanceolate, 0.32-0.43 by 0.1 cm. Petals forming a hood with the median sepal, oblong-oblanceolate, slightly shorter than the dorsal sepal, 0.3 by 0.07 cm. Lip obovate in outline, obscurely 3-lobed at apex, slightly longer than the sepals, 0.45 by 0.3 cm, the lateral lobes semi-ovate, erect, the mid-lobe subcircular with an undulate-crispate margin, lip at the base with 2 fleshy, subglobose calli. (After Lewis & Cribb, 1991)


Flower translucent pearly white tinged pinkish magenta on apical half, with a translucent white lip tinged pinkish magenta near the apex; column green.

Terrestrial in lowland to subalpine grassland, often in swampy places, rarely in forest; 75 to 3225 m.

Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, New Guinea, Philippines), Thailand, ?Cambodia, ?Laos, Vietnam, tropical and subtropical Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Samoa.

Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map

distribution map

Intermediate growing terrestrial, requires light position.

Flowering observed in every month of the year.

  • Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java (1905) 81, as Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl.
  • Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java, Fig.-Atl. (1908) fig. 55, as Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl.
  • Smith, J.J., Nova Guinea 12, 3 (1915) 189, t. 63, fig. 103, as Spiranthes angustilabris J.J.Sm.
  • Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 20, fig. 64, as Spiranthes papuana Schltr.
  • Royen, P. van, Alp. Fl. New Guinea 2 (1979) 99, pl. 85
  • Family Orchidaceae
  • Subfamily Orchidoideae
  • Tribe Cranichideae
  • Subtribe Spiranthinae
  • Genus Spiranthes
  • Species Spiranthes sinensis

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Spiranthes sinensis

overview picture

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, inflorescence, photo E.F. de Vogel, from West New Britain Prov.

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, part of inflorescence, photo E.F. de Vogel, from West New Britain Prov.

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, inflorescences, photo N.E.G. Cruttwell (1/85, PNG, Litipinaga)

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, photo Jon Cara, inflorescence, cult. Jon Cara, from Papua New Guinea

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, photo Jon Cara, flowers, various views, cult. Jon Cara, from Papua New Guinea

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, photo Jon Cara, flowers, front view, cult. Jon Cara, from Papua New Guinea

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes angustilabris J.J.Sm., floral analysis, drawing J.J. Smith, from Gjellerup 1191

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes papuana Schltr., floral analysis, drawing J.J. Smith, from Gibbs 5673

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes papuana Schltr., habit, drawing Darmosoediro, from Gibbs 5673

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes papuana Schltr., drawing R. Schlechter in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 20, fig. 64

Spiranthes sinensis

Spiranthes angustilabris J.J.Sm., herbarium sheet, Gjellerup 1191 (isotype specimen L)