Calanthe speciosa (Blume) Lindl.

Kurzweil, Hubert, 2010, A precursory study of the Calanthe group (Orchidaceae) in Thailand, Adansonia (3) 32 (1), pp. 57-107 : 78-79

11. Calanthe speciosa (Blume) Lindl.

Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants: 250 (1833); Comber, Orchids of Java: 93 (1990); Seidenfaden & Wood, The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore: 175 (1992); Comber, Orchids of Sumatra: 261 (2001); Chen et al., Flora of China, vol. 25: 296 (2009). — Amblyglottis speciosa Blume, Bijdragen : 371 (1825). — Alismorkis speciosa (Blume) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 650 (1891). — Type: Indonesia, Java, Batam and Buitenzorg, in forest, Blume s.n. (syn-, L).

Calanthe scortechinii Hooker , Flora of British India 5: 854 (1890). — Alismorkis scortechinii (Hook.f.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 650 (1891). — Type: Peninsular Malaysia, Perak, Scortechini s.n. (holo-, K!).

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Comber, Orchids of Java: pl. on page 92 (1990); Seidenfaden & Wood, The Orchids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore: fig. 75g-i (1992); Comber, Orchids of Sumatra: pl. on page 262 (2001).

DESCRIPTION (AFTER COMBER 1990, 2001; SEIDENFADEN & WOOD 1992)

Terrestrial herbs, evergreen.Pseudobulbs inconspicuous and largely enclosed by the leaf sheaths, c. 5.5 × 2.2 cm long, close together, several-noded. Leaves 4-7, perennial, lanceolate-elliptic, to 120 × 15 cm; with grooved petioles to 25 cm long. Inflorescences erect, arising from the base of the leafy shoot, shorter than the leaves, to 80 cm tall; peduncles to 55 cm long; sterile bracts 5, lanceolate; raceme semi-dense or dense, many-flowered, in the Thai specimen illustrated by Vaddhanaphuti (2005) apparently only 10-15-flowered; rachis 25 cm long; floral bracts caducous, lanceolate, whitish, c. 70 × 22 mm. Flowers orange-yellow or golden yellow, mostly opening widely, to 30 mm broad, the Thai specimens are reported to be only up to 10 mm in diameter ( Vaddhanaphuti 2005). Sepals ovate, acuminate and acute, c. 17 × 9 mm, the laterals a little wider. Petals similar, shortly acuminate, c. 15 × 8 mm. Lip 3-lobed, to 20 mm long, base completely united with the gynostemium, spurred; midlobe rectangular and broadened towards the tip, apically shortly pointed, c. 7 mm long; side lobes rounded triangular, spreading, acute or obtuse, c. 4 × 4 mm; spur c. 10 mm long. Gynostemium c. 6.5 mm long. Fruits not known.

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY

Widespread in Malesia from Sumatra eastwards as far as the Moluccas, in S China and S Japan. Also recorded in Peninsular Thailand, but the identity could not be confirmed as no voucher could be traced. The habitat is not known and the plants are said to flower in October.

REMARKS

No material of this species has been seen, but it is listed here because it was included in a recent publication on native Thai orchids ( Vaddhanaphuti 2005).

There appears to be variation in the size of the flowers. The flower size of Sumatran population is about 30 mm ( Comber 2001), while a specimen from Peninsular Malaysia was illustrated with flowers about 19 mm in diameter ( Seidenfaden & Wood 1992). Flowers of the Thai specimen illustrated by Vaddhanaphuti (2005) are apparently only 10 mm in diameter.