Calanthe sylvatica (Thouars) Lindl.

Kurzweil, Hubert, 2010, A precursory study of the Calanthe group (Orchidaceae) in Thailand, Adansonia (3) 32 (1), pp. 57-107 : 89-90

20. Calanthe sylvatica (Thouars) Lindl.

Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants: 250 (1833); Comber, Orchids of Java: 96 (1990); Seidenfaden & Wood, The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore: 167 (1992); Seidenfaden, Opera Botanica 124: 17 (1995); Comber, Orchids of Sumatra: 269 (2001); Pearce & Cribb, Flora of Bhutan 3 (3): 290 (2002); Chen et al., Flora of China, vol. 25: 300 (2009). — Centrosis sylvatica Thouars, Histoire particulière des plantes Orchidées: pl. 35 (1822). — Bletia sylvatica (Thouars) Bojer, Hortus Mauritianus : 318 (1837). — Alismorkis centrosis (Thouars) Steud., Nomenclator Botanicus , ed. 2, 1: 49 (1840). — Type: Mascarenes, Thouars s.n. (holo-, P!; iso-, P!). Bletia masuca D.Don , Prodromus Florae Nepalensis : 30

(1825). — Zoduba masuca (D.Don) Buch. -Ham.,

Prodromus Florae Nepalensis : 30 (1825), nomen nu-

dum. — Calanthe masuca (D.Don) Lindl. , Genera and

Species of Orchidaceous Plants: 249 (1833) ; Hooker, Flora of British India 5: 850 (1890); Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part III: 337 (1961); Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part IV, 2: 793 (1965); Seidenfaden, Dansk Botanisk Arkiv 29: 19 (1975). — Type: Nepal, Narainhetty, Buchanan- Hamilton s.n. (holo-, BM; iso-, K!, LINN Herb. no. 1403.11.1 [fide Pearce & Cribb 2002]).

Amblyglottis emarginata Blume, Bijdragen : 370 (1825). — Calanthe emarginata (Blume) Lindl. , Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants: 249 (1833). — Type: Indonesia, Java, Mt. Gede, Blume s.n. (holo-, L!).

Calanthe wightii Rchb. f. in Walpers, Annales Botanices Systematicae 6: 932 (1864). — Type: India, Tamil Nadu, Courtallum,? Wight 2992 (holo-, K!; iso-, AMES!).

Calanthe versicolor Lindl., Sertum Orchidaceum : pl. 42 (1871). — Type: cult (holo-, K).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Northern, Nan,

Sapan Waterfall, 7.IX.1995, Larsen et al. 46153 ( AAU,

SING). — Northern, Nan, Doi Phu Kha, 23.IX.2000, Srisanga 1654 ( QBG). — North-Eastern, Phetchabun, Phu Mieng, 1.VI.1964, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 5500 (C spirit). — North-Eastern, Loei, Phu Krading, XII.1958, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 3065 (C spirit); 22.VIII.1960, 3708 (C spirit); 22.VIII.1960, 3709 (C spirit). — North- Eastern, Loei, Thaithong 866 ( BCU spirit). — Eastern, Chaiyaphum, Phu Khieo, VII. 1973, Seidenfaden & Smitinand 8129 (C spirit). — Peninsular, Pattani, Betong, 2.VIII.1923, Kerr 070 (K). — Peninsular, Yala, Hala-Bala, 26.II.1999, Niyomdham & Puudjaa 5671 ( BKF). — Peninsular, Narathiwat, Sirindhorn Waterfall, III.[year not given], Niyomdham 6443 ( BKF spirit). — Without locality, Puudjaa 225 ( BKF spirit); Thorut s.n. ( BCU spirit 008962) .

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part III: fig. 257a-c (1961); Seidenfaden & Smitinand, The Orchids of Thailand – A Preliminary List, part IV, 2: pl. XXXVIII (5500) (1965) [as Calanthe masuca (D.Don) Lindl. ]; Seidenfaden, Dansk Botanisk Arkiv 29: fig. 6a-d, pl. II (1975) [as C. masuca (D.Don) Lindl. ]; Comber, Orchids of Java: pl. on page 96 (1990); Seidenfaden & Wood, The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore: fig. 72a (1992); Comber, Orchids of Sumatra: pl. on page 270 (2001).

DESCRIPTION

Terrestrial herbs, evergreen, 30-65 cm tall. Basal sheaths not seen. Pseudobulbs inconspicuous and largely enclosed by the leaves, narrowly conical, 1.5-5 cm long, close together, several-noded. Leaves 2-4, perennial, broadly lanceolate-elliptic, acute, acuminate, 22-40 × 5.5-12 cm, upper surface glabrous or pubescent, lower surface pubescent; with grooved petioles 5-11(-13) cm long. Inflorescences arising from the base of the leafy shoot, pubescent; peduncles to 50 cm long; sterile bracts 2-4, scattered along the flowering stem and clustered at its base, erect or suberect, lanceolate-oblong, acute or subacute, 1-2.5 cm long, pubescent, the lower sheathing; raceme semi-dense or lax, 7- to 15-flowered; rachis 5.2-17 cm long; floral bracts persistent, broadly ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute, 7-16(-21) × 3-8 mm, shorter than the pedicel plus the ovary, pubescent. Flowers 20-45 mm across, opening widely, mauve to purple, rarely white with rosa lip and turning rusty with age, callus yellow. Ovary indistinguishable from the pedicel, 17-35 mm long, pubescent. Sepals ovate-elliptic, short-acuminate, 3- or 5-veined, glabrous or pubescent on the outside; median sepal 20-26(-30) × 8.2-11(-13) mm; lateral sepals 21-25(-28) × 6-10(-12) mm. Petals obovate-elliptic, subacute or obtuse, mucronate, 3- or 5-veined, 19-25 × 7-15 mm, glabrous. Lip 3-lobed, 17-26 mm long, base completely united with the gynostemium, spurred, glabrous; midlobe fan-shaped and apically emarginate, 10-16 × 12-15(-21) mm, clawed, with erose front margins; side lobes oblongauriculate, obtuse, 3.5-5(-9.5) × 1.5-3.5(-4) mm; callus at the base of the midlobe 3-lamellate, warty; spur cylindric, curved, 30-48 mm long, sometimes apically bifid. Gynostemium (3.5-) 5-6 mm long, glabrous. Fruits ellipsoid, 20-30 × 5-10 mm.

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY

Found in most parts of Thailand except the South- Eastern, Central and South-Western regions.Generally very widespread from tropical and extra-tropical Africa through Madagascar to tropical and subtropical Asia as far eastwards as Sulawesi and the Lesser Sunda Islands. In Thailand found in evergreen forest and scrub forest, from 150 to 1500 m. Flowering at different times of the year.

REMARKS

Calanthe sylvatica is very variable in many features but due to the lack of discontinuities it is not possible to split it into infraspecific taxa. The species is distinct with its emarginate or shallowly bilobed lip midlobe and the small lip side lobes.

The specimen Puudjaa 225 differs by having significantly larger flowers with median sepals 32 mm long, lateral sepals 34 × 12 mm, petals 26 × 12.7 mm, spurs 50 mm long and ovary + pedicel 48 mm long. However, from the label it is not clear whether it is a wild-growing plant or is in fact a cultivar.