单唇无叶兰 dan chun wu ye lan

Sinorchis simplex (Tang & F. T. Wang) S. C. Chen.

Plants 48-53 cm tall. Rhizome 4-6 mm in diam., densely noded; roots long, 1.5-2 mm in diam. Stem glabrous; proximal internodes 7-12 mm, each node with 1 tubular sheath 4-18 mm; distal internodes much longer. Inflorescence with 10-13 well-spaced flowers; rachis 18-22 cm; floral bracts reflexed, linear-lanceolate, ca. 1 cm, 3-veined. Flowers white, suberect; pedicel 3-5 mm; ovary 1.2-1.7 cm, with sparse glandular hairs. Sepals sublanceolate-oblong, ca. 10 × 2-3 mm, apex subacute; lateral petals similar, suboblong, slightly shorter than sepals, thinly textured; lip unmodified, similar to lateral petals. Column ca. 8 mm, apex slightly dilated, with 2 silver staminodes and linear appendage on ventral surface near apex; appendage 0.7-1 mm; stigma subterminal; rostellum ovate, apex emarginate. Fl. Aug.

● Sandy soils in thickets, rocky slopes. E Guangdong.

One of us (Gale) regards this species as probably a peloric form of Aphyllorchis montana, with which it agrees in all characters except the lip. However, the other of us (Chen) does not agree, noting that A. montana is not found in E Guangdong and that the column of A. simplex is different from that of A. montana.