匙唇兰 chi chun lan

Saccolabium gemmatum Lindley, Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 24 (Misc.): 50. 1838; Cleisostoma gemmatum (Lindley) King & Pantling; Gastrochilus gemmatus (Lindley) Kuntze; S. hainanense Rolfe; Schoenorchis hainanensis (Rolfe) Schlechter.

Stems usually pendulous, ± compressed cylindric, 5-20 cm, 5-8 mm in diam., somewhat rigid, unbranched, internodes 7-15 mm. Leaves many, cauline; leaf blade linear-terete, 4-13 × 0.5-1.3(-1.7) cm, obtuse and shallowly 2- or 3-lobed. Inflorescences paniculate, arising from near apex of stem, 8-15 cm, densely many flowered; peduncle purplish brown, slender, sheathed; floral bracts ovate-triangular, ca. 1 mm. Flowers 3-4 mm; sepals white or bright purple with white apices, petals bright purple, lip white with purple on spur and lateral lobes, column and anther cap yellowish brown; pedicel and ovary purplish red, ca. 3 mm. Dorsal sepal ovate, 1.5-2.2 × 1-1.2 mm, 1-veined, obtuse; lateral sepals slightly obliquely ovate, 2-2.5 × 1.1-1.4 mm, dorsally slightly carinate, apex obtuse. Petals obovate-cuneate, 1.1-1.5 × ca. 1 mm, 1-veined, apex truncate and emarginate; lip spatulate, 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, subovate, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm; mid-lobe obovate-spatulate, 2-2.5 × 1.7-2.1 mm, thickly fleshy, shortly clawed at base, apex obtuse; spur parallel to ovary, conic, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, obtuse. Column ca. 0.8 mm. Capsule subovoid, ca. 6 × 3 mm. Fl. Mar-Jun, fr. Apr-Jul. 2n = 36.

Epiphytic on tree trunks in forests; 200-2000 m. S Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, SE Xizang, W to SE Yunnan [Bhutan, Cambodia, NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam].