ACANTHEPHIPPIUM BL.

Acanthophippium

The genus was established by C.L Blume in 1825; since then it has been accepted by all taxonomists, although occasionally misspelled as Acantophippium.

• Plants are terrestrial with large conical or cylindrical pseudobulbs that are placed close together on the rhizome, each bearing from one to four leaves. 
• Leaves plicates, often producing banana-like false stems with their bases.
• Inflorescences emerging from the side of pseudobulbs, much shorter than the leaves, with only a few flowers.
• Flowers shaped like an inflated tube because the sepals are joined together, with only their tips spreading; the petals are free.
• The lip is trilobed; particular attention should be paid to the ribs or keels on it as the number and type of these is useful in distinguishing between species.

there are from 11-15 species known, which are found from India and Sri Lanka in the west to some of the Pacific Islands in the east, northwards to China, and almost all countries within this vast triangle.

They are normally found growing in quite shady forests where the soil is reasonably fertile. 

Four species  have been found in Sumatra, but only one of these is endemic to island 

1. A. eburneum
2. A. chrysoglossum ( endemic )
3. A. parviflorum
4. A. javanicum

Source: Orchid of Sumatra (J.B.Comber)

image : https://www.aos.org/

 

June 13, 2020