Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect, terrestrial or lithophytic perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems slender, cane-like, 3-13 dm long, almost completely enclosed by the persistent sheathing leaf bases.

Roots: Roots arising singly or in groups from lower nodes of stem, covered by a conspicuous layer of grayish white velamen.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades ovate-elliptic or etliptic-oblong, 4-13 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, glabrous. Apex acute, obtuse, or occasionally retuse. Blades thick, hard and slightly fleshy, slightly conduplicate, horizontal or slightly ascending. Midrib impressed on upper surface, prominently raised on lower surface. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in erect, terminal, racemose inflorescences 15-50 cm long, peduncles slender, partly enclosed by a series of membranous, sheath-like bracts. Flowers bisexual (perfect), non-resupinate, scarlet, orange, or mauve, +/- with yellow or white markings. Sepals: dorsal sepal distinct, slightly reflexed, elliptic, 12-14 mm long, ventral sepals spreading or somewhat reflexed, irregularly obovate-elliptic, 12-14 mm long. Petals spreading, obovate, 11-13 mm long; labellum erect or ascending, adnate to ventral surface of column, 10-14 mm long, distinctly 3-lobed, margins irregularly fimbriate, apex deeply cleft into 2 lobes. Stamen 1, adnate to and surrounding the style forming a column. Ovary inferior, 3-carpellate; stigma small, unlobed.

Fruit: Capsules ellipsoid; 3-ribbed; 3-4 cm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Terrestrial on steep rocky slopes or rarely at the base of trees or shrubs; usually in dry habitats.

Elevation Range: 300–1,200 m.