Dendrobium lituiflorum Lindl.

  • context
  • comments
  • related

Dendrobium lituiflorum Lindl.

Dendrobium lituiflorum Lindl. Stem pendulous, slightly fleshy, cylindrical, 30-40 cm or longer, 7-10 mm thick, unbranched, multinode, 3-3.5 cm internode. Leaves papillary, narrowly oblong, 7.5-18 cm long and 12-15 mm wide, apex acuminate and slightly crocheted on one side, base sheathed.
Multiple racemes, usually 1-2 flowers each, emanating from older leaves; Inflorescence pedicle almost at right angles to stem, 5-10 mm long, base with 3 sheaths; Sheath light white, papery, 1.5 cm long, tip blunt; Bracts pale white, ovate, 1-13 mm long, apex subacute; Peduncle and ovary purple, 2.5 cm long; Flowers large, purple, membranous, spreading; Mesoseals oblong-lanceolate, 3.5 cm long x 7 mm wide, apex acute, with 7 veins; Lateral sepals resemble middle sepals and are equally large, base slightly skewed, with 7 veins; Calyx small, subglobular, about 4 mm long.
Petals subelliptic, ca. 4 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, apex acute, entire margin, with 7 veins; Lip rim is purple, inner surface surrounded by a white ring deep purple patch, obovate, shorter than petals, flanked by stamens below the middle to form a trumpet, margins with irregular fine teeth, densely covered with short hairs; Stemons 4 mm long, base enlarged; Cap conical, tip more or less truncated and sunken, papillae fine, anterior margin whole. Flowering in March
It is born on the trunk of a mountain broad-leaved forest at an altitude of 800-1600 meters. It is produced in southwest and west Guangxi and southwest Yunnan of China. It is also found in northeastern India, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.