Young palm orchid

Serapias polystachya Swartz, Prodr., 119. 1788; Chloidia polystachya (Swartz) Reichenbach f.; C. vernalis Lindley; Corymbis polystachya (Swartz) Bentham ex Fawcett; Corymborchis polystachya (Swartz) Kuntze; Macrostylis vernalis (Lindley) Reichenbach f.; Neottia polystachya (Swartz) Swartz; Polystachya membranacea A. Richard; Stenorrhynchos polystachyon (Swartz) Sprengel; Tomotris polystachya (Swartz) Rafinesque; Tropidia eatonii Ames

Plants to 70 cm. Roots several from rhizome, brown, 0.5–3 mm diam., villous. Rhizomes 2.5–4 mm diam. Stems partially concealed by bladeless tubular sheaths proximally when young, naked when older, covered by leaf sheaths distally, usually branched, terete, 31–55 cm × 2–4 mm. Leaves several; sheaths clasping stem, 4–4.5 cm; blade oblong-lanceolate, 6–27 × 2.4–6.7 cm, apex acuminate. Inflorescences: peduncles 3.5–14 cm; panicles 3–48-flowered, dense, subglobular, 2.5–9 × 3–6.5 cm; floral bracts linear to lanceolate, 4–10 mm, apex acuminate to subulate. Flowers 8–12 mm; sepals greenish white, 5-veined; dorsal sepal concave, oblong to elliptic, 6.5–7 × 2–2.5 mm, apex acute to obtuse; lateral sepals somewhat gibbous, lanceolate-oblong, slightly falcate, 5.5–6.5 × 1.7–2 mm, apex acute; petals white, 3-veined, somewhat falcate, lanceolate to elliptic-oblanceolate, 5–6 × 1.5–2 mm, apex acute; lip embracing column, white with yellow spot on disc, oblong, 4.5–6 × 2 mm, constricted at middle, apex retuse, sometimes obscurely 4-lobed; disc 2-lamellate and flabellate distally; column 4–4.5 mm. Capsules ribbed, 10–14 × 3–6 mm.

Flowering Sep--Mar. Moist hardwood hammocks; 0--20 m; Fla.; Mexico; West Indies; Central America; South America (Galapagos Islands).