千叶蝴蝶兰 Phalaenopsis chibae
Etymology : chibae, the discoverer of this species, Chiba Masaaki from Sakatoshi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Distribution : Surrounding Dalat City, Vietnam.
Habitat : Usually attached to tree trunks, rarely on moss or stones 400-600 m above sea level.
Explanation : This species has certain variation in color depth and flower size. | ||
Stem short ; leaf fleshy, foliated, base cuneate, spreading upward into oblong or obovate, subapical oblique, dark green, purplish, 11.5 cm long ; 4.5 cm wide ; | ||
Inflorescences 1-4, slender, erect, lateral, dark purple, 11-14 cm long, 10-24 flowers, sparsely on inflorescence axis ; pedicels ca. 4 cm, with 2 sheaths ; bracts triangular, apex tip, up to 3 mm ; fleshy, 14 mm in diam., light greenish yellow, with maroon brown markings, white lip appendage, with purple markings ; pedicels and ovaries slender, pale green, ca. 14 mm ; middle sepals elliptic, turbaned, obtuse, ca. 4.5 mm long, ca. 3.5 mm wide ; lateral sepals subovate, oblique, apex obtuse, ca. 6 mm long, ca. 4.5 mm wide ; lateral valve long oval, blunt tip, and pistil foot side connected, about 5.5 mm long, about 2.5 mm wide ; the labial flap is connected with the end of the stamen column, with three splits and a concave distance between the lateral lobes, about 6 mm long and 8.5 mm wide. Lateral lobes triangular, apex acute, ca. 1 mm long, adaxial surface with fleshy ridges, abaxial depression ; the corpus callosum at the base of middle lobe is subrectangular, margin convex, apex also has an inconspicuous hilum ; the pistil column is broad, fleshy, and the pistil column foot is obvious, about 4 mm in length ; stamen beak two crack ; pollen mass 4, 2 pairs, each pair divided into unequal two, hemispherical.
Flowering : April to July. | ||