Phaius flavus (Blume) Lindl.

Kurzweil, Hubert, 2010, A precursory study of the Calanthe group (Orchidaceae) in Thailand, Adansonia (3) 32 (1), pp. 57-107 : 93-94

1. Phaius flavus (Blume) Lindl. ( Fig. 9 )

Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants: 128 (1831);

Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A

Preliminary List, part III: 328 (1961); Seidenfaden &

Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List,

part IV, 2: 792 (1965); Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 89:

41 (1986); Comber, Orchids of Java: 99 (1990); Seiden-

faden, Opera Botanica 114: 99 (1992); Seidenfaden &

Wood, The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore:

177 (1992); Comber, Orchids of Sumatra: 283 (2001);

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

et al., Flora of China, vol. 25: 290 (2009). — Limodorum

flavum Blume, Bijdragen : 375 (1825). — Bletia flava

(Blume) Wall. ex Lindl., Genera and Species of Orchida-

ceous Plants: 127 (1831). — Type: Indonesia, Java, Mt .

Gede, in forest, Blume’s collector (holo-, L!).

Bletia woodfordii Hook. , Botanical Magazine 54: pl. 2719 (1827). — Phaius woodfordii (Hook.) Merr. , Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 29: 211 (1948); Seidenfaden, Botanisk Tidsskrift 65: 336 (1970). — Type: Trinidad (?), Woodford s.n. (holo-, K).

Phaius maculatus Lindl. , Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants : 127 (1831); Hooker, Flora of British India 5: 817 (1890). — Type: Nepal, Wallich s.n., Wallich’s Catalogue 3748 (holo-, K-LINDL!; iso-, BM, K-WALL).

Limodorum crispum Reinw. ex Blume , Museum Botanicum Lugduno-Batavum 2: 180 (1856). — Phaius crispus Blume , Museum Botanicum Lugduno-Batavum 2: 180 (1856). — Type: Indonesia, western Java, Kuhl & van Hasselt s.n. (holo-, L!).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Northern, Chiang

Mai, Doi Inthanon, 18.VI.1928, Garrett 543 (K, P);

11.V.1983, Larsen 74/307 (C spirit); Menzies & DuPuy

293 (K spirit); 4.VI.1985, Rasmussen sub Seidenfaden & Smitinand 9257 (C spirit). — Northern, Chiang Mai, Jawm Tong, 1.VII.1992, Maxwell 92-346 ( CMU [Sc], CMU [Sc] spirit). — Northern, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, 16.VII.1958, Smitinand 4713 ( BKF). — Northern, Chiang Mai, 31.VII.1968, Larsen et al. 2960 ( AAU, C spirit, E, K, L, P). — Northern, Nan, Doi Phu Kha, 20.III.2000, Srisanga 1342 ( QBG). — Northern, Tak, Mussoe, 2.XII.1969, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 7399 (C spirit). — Northern, Tak, 2.XII.1968, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 7342 (C spirit). — Northern, Phitsanulok, Intamusika 81 ( QBG spirit). — North-Eastern, Loei, Phu Luang, 4.IV.1983, Rasmussen sub Seidenfaden & Smitinand 9109 (C spirit). — South-Western, Kanchanaburi, cultivated, without collector and number (K spirit 50617). — Without locality, 1.VI.1994, Thorut s.n. ( BCU spirit H5975) .

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 89: fig. 18a-f, pl. IIIc (1986); Comber, Orchids of Java: pl. on page 100 (1990); Seidenfaden & Wood, The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore: fig. 76c, d, pl. 10d (1992); Comber, Orchids of Sumatra: pl. on page 283 (2001); Pearce & Cribb, Flora of Bhutan 3 (3): fig. 69a-l (2002); Pridgeon et al., Genera Orchidacearum 4: fig. 275.1A-L (2005).

DESCRIPTION

Terrestrial or rarely lithophytic herbs, evergreen, glabrous except for the gynostemium, 40-100 cm tall; stems pseudobulbous. Basal sheaths largely decayed at the flowering time and only the veins remaining. Pseudobulbs inconspicuous, largely obscured by the leaf sheaths, elongate, conical to cylindric, 9-12(-23) × 1.2-3 cm, close together, several-noded. Leaves 4-6, ovate-elliptic to ellipticoblong, acute, (20-)30-60 × (1.5-) 3.7-15 cm, green with white or yellow blotches; with petioles 17- 23 cm long, sheathing base of the leaves forming a pseudostem 13-19 cm long. Inflorescences usually arising from the basal parts of the leafy shoot and only very rarely from the upper parts of the pseudobulbs to 18 cm above the ground; peduncles usually longer than 35 cm; sterile bracts 4, erect or spreading, scattered along the flowering stem and clustered at its base, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, sheathing, (1-) 2.5-5 cm long; raceme semi-dense or lax, (2-)13- to 17-flowered; rachis usually 5-20 cm long; floral bracts persistent, ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute, 8-20 × 5-10.7 mm, much shorter than the pedicel plus the ovary. Flowers spreading, usually in shades of yellow and green, lip with orange or brown markings or brown margin, lip hypochile and spur sometimes white, gynostemium white with red streaks. Ovary indistinguishable from the pedicel, (16-) 25-32 mm long. Sepals obovate-lanceolate, acute, 5- or 7-veined; median sepal (23-)25-43 × (6-) 8-16 mm; lateral sepals 25- 42 × 10-17 mm. Petals obovate-elliptic, somewhat clawed, usually obtuse, 5- to 9-veined, (25-)30-42 × (7-) 9.5-15.5 mm. Lip very shallowly 3-lobed and midlobe hardly protruding, 23-45 × 25-45 mm, basal 2-7 mm united with the gynostemium and free above, spurred, front margins crisped-undulate especially on the midlobe; disk with three obscure keels; spur cylindric, 5-8(-16) mm long. Gynostemium 17-20 mm long, sparsely hairy on the front side. Fruits ellipsoid, c. 25 × 5 mm.

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY

In Thailand mainly found in the North with one record each from the North-East and South-West. Generally widespread on the Asian continent from NE India to China and southwards to Peninsular Malaysia, in the whole of Malesia and on some of the Pacific Ocean Islands as far eastwards as Samoa. Found in evergreen forest near streams, sometimes with pine, from about 1000 to 1650 m. Flowering at different times of the year.

REMARKS

This species is very variable in its leaf blotching, flower colour and lip shape (including the spur) ( Seidenfaden 1986). It is well distinguished from other Thai Phaius species by its medium-sized to large mostly yellow to greenish flowers and the inflorescences which arise at the base of the leafy shoots.

Figures

FIG. 9. — Phaius flavus (Blume) Lindl.: A, top of plant; B, flower seen from below; C, lip; D, gynostemium; E, section through gyno- stemium and spur; F, operculum and pollinia. A, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 7399; B-F, Larsen et al. 307. Reproduced with permission from the University of Copenhagen, drawn by Poul Juul. Scale bars: A, 3 cm; B-E, 2 cm; F, 3 mm.