Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect, terrestrial perennial herbs up to 3 m tall, arising from short, branched, leafless rhizomes.

Stems: Arising from short, branched, leafless rhizomes, stems close together, rigid, erect, cane-like, with numerous leaves.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades grass-like, lanceolate. Blades linear-lanceolate. Bases sheath-like and overlapping. Bases sheath-like, overlapping. Blades firm. Margins entire. Margins finely serrate. Midrib impressed on upper surface, conspicuously raised on lower surface. Veins parallel. Petioles absent. Sheaths 2-4 cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in terminal, elongate or sometimes compact racemes or open panicles, each one subtended by a small, stiff bract. Flowers bisexual (perfect), often fragrant. Sepals pale pink to rose, the dorsal one ascending, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 3-4.5 cm long, ventral sepals appressed to surface of labellum, elliptic, 3-4.5 cm long. lateral petals similar in color to sepals, spreading or reflexed horizontally, broadly elliptic to obovate, 2.5-3.8 cm long; labellum pale to dark reddish purple, +/- with yellow markings on the throat, 4-5 cm long, entire or weakly 3-lobed, middle lobe undulate, deeply cleft, margins irregularly crenate. Column slender, narrowly winged toward apex; anther curved downward, pollinia 8, laterally compressed, granular and with short caudicles. Ovary inferior, 3-carpellate; rostellum prominent, thick; stigma unlobed.

Fruit: Capsules ribbed and cylindrical.

Ploidy:

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