Bulbophyllum sphaericum Z. H. Tsi & H. Li, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin. 1(1-2): 117. 1981.球茎卷瓣兰 qiu jing juan ban lan

Rhytionanthos sphaericus (Z. H. Tsi & H. Li) Garay, Hamer & Siegerist.

Rhizome creeping, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., branched, rooting from base of pseudobulbs. Pseudobulbs ca. 1 cm apart from each other, globose, 7-8 mm in diam., with 1 leaf at apex. Leaf sessile; blade abaxially purplish red, adaxially pale green, elliptic-oblong, ca. 10 × 6-8 mm, thickly leathery, margin slightly recurved, apex retuse. Scape from base of pseudobulb, erect, much longer than leaf; umbel 4- or 5-flowered; floral bracts ca. 1.5 mm. Pedicel and ovary ca. 3 mm. Flowers purplish red. Dorsal sepal ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5 × 2 mm, abaxially papillate below middle, apex emarginate; lateral sepals narrowly lanceolate, ca. 25 × 3 mm, abaxially densely papillate in basal half, base twisted, their upper and lower edges connate to each other, margins incurved, apex cuspidate. Petals elliptic, ca. 3 × 2 mm, entire, obtuse-rounded; lip recurved, lanceolate, ca. 3.5 mm, fleshy, base grooved, attached to end of column foot by a mobile joint. Column ca. 2 mm; stelidia subsquare, ca. 0.5 mm; foot upcurved, with free part ca. 1 mm. Fl. Sep-Dec.

● Tree trunks in evergreen broad-leaved forests. Sichuan, SW Yunnan.