top of page
Asset 6-100.jpg

Peristylus Blume

Sub Family: Orchidoideae

Tribe: Orchideae
Sub Tribe:  Orchidinae
Derivation of name: 
From the Greek peri, around & stylus, a column in allusion to the column arms on each side of the column 
Salient features:

  • Small to medium sized terrestrial plants with small oblong or ellipsoid tubers

  • Leaves several, in basal rosette, clustered in the middle of the stem or spirally arranged along the stem, ovate to oblanceotae, sheathing at the base, thin textured

  • Inflorescence terminal, densely flowered, bracts lanceolate as long as or shorter than flowers 

  • Flowers resupinate, small spirally arranged green, or yellowish green, perianth persistent in fruits 

  • Dorsal sepal & petals conivent or slightly spreading, lateral sepals oblique

  • Labellum connate at the base with margins of column, distally three lobed or entire, longer than sepals & petals, often clawed & spurred at the base, ecallose or fleshy callus in front of mouth of the spur 

  • Spur scrotiform or cylindric, shorter than to longer than labellum usually shorter than ovary

  • Column short, conical, erect, anther bilocular with adjescent loculi, lateral appendages sessile, pollinia two, shortly clavate, sectile, viscidia two, ovate to oblong, rostellum small trilobed but lateral lobes shorter than mid lobe smaller than anther loculi, stigmatic arms two, remote sessile, convex or depessed centrally adnate to the base of lip and lateral appendages, ovary almost lacking pedicel

Peristylus densus (Lindl.)
Santapau & Kapadia

In J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 57: 128 (1960)

  • Coeloglossum densum Lindl. in Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 302 (1835) Heterotypic Synonyms

  • Coeloglossum cernuum Rchb.f. in Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 250 (1855)

  • Coeloglossum peristyloides Rchb.f. in Bonplandia (Hannover) 4: 321 (1856)

  • Coeloglossum tenue Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 20: t. 1701 (1834), not validly publ.

  • Glossula passerina Gagnep. in H.Lecomte, Fl. Indo-Chine 6: 627 (1934)

  • Gymnadenia tenuis Lindl. ex Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 7057 (1832), nom. nud.

  • Habenaria atramentaria Kraenzl. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 16: 105 (1921)

  • Habenaria buchneroides Schltr. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 4: 46 (1919)

  • Habenaria dankiaensis Gagnep. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 79: 35 (1932)

  • Habenaria evrardii Gagnep. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 78: 69 (1931)

  • Habenaria flagellifera Makino in Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 6: 48 (1892)

  • Habenaria gracilis Colebr. in W.J.Hooker, Exot. Fl.: t. 135 (1824)

  • Habenaria hiugensis Ohwi in J. Jap. Bot. 12: 381 (1936)

  • Habenaria neglecta King & Pantl. in J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 66: 603 (1897)

  • Habenaria passerina (Gagnep.) Tang & F.T.Wang in Acta Phytotax. Sin. 1: 63 (1951)

  • Habenaria peristyloides Wight in Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: 13 (1851), nom. illeg.

  • Habenaria satsumana Ohwi in J. Jap. Bot. 12: 383 (1936), pro syn.

  • Habenaria stenostachya (Lindl. ex Benth.) Benth. in Fl. Hongk.: 362 (1861)

  • Habenaria stenostachya subsp. buchneroides (Schltr.) Soó in Ann. Hist.-Nat. Mus. Natl. Hung. 26: 374 (1929)

  • Peristylus flagellifer (Makino) Ohwi in Fl. Jap.: 344 (1953)

  • Peristylus neglectus (King & Pantl.) Kraenzl. in Orchid. Gen. Sp. 1: 924 (1901)

  • Peristylus peristyloides M.R.Almeida in Fl. Maharashtra 5A: 79 (2009), nom. superfl.

  • Peristylus satsumanus Ohwi in J. Jap. Bot. 12: 383 (1936)

  • Peristylus stenostachyus (Lindl. ex Benth.) Kraenzl. in Orchid. Gen. Sp. 1: 502 (1898)

  • Peristylus xanthochlorus Blatt. & McCann in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 35: 733 (1932)

  • Platanthera stenostachya Lindl. ex Benth. in Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 7: 37 (1855)

Ecology: Terrestrial herb 12-35cm tall growing in open grass lands on moist soil in evergreen forest

​

Leaves grouped on basal part of stem, green or yellowish green, sheathing 2-7x0.5-2cm oblong-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, entire, acute, mucronate, minutely papillate, mid rib prominent below with 3-5 fainter lateral ribs

Inflorescence: 7-21cm long, lax or dense spikes, peduncle slender 3mm thick, terete, bracteate, bracts distantly or closely placed, sub opposite to imbricate, laceolate, entire, sub acuminate, minutely papillate, margins paler

Flowers: greenish-yellow subsecund, sessile, bracteate

 

 

 

 


Bracts unequal, lower equalling or slightly longer than flower, upper ones shorter, 7-15x3-5mm, acute or acuminate

Sepals: pale greenish-yellow, obtuse
Dorsal sepal 4-5x2-3mm, ovate, oblong, concave, mid rib concave at the back with pair of fainter lateral nerves
Lateral sepals 4-5x1-1.5mm narrowly linear, often sub falcate 1 nerved, margins incurved

Petals: 3.5x1.5-2mm, sub-oblique, ovate-oblong, obtuse, erect, greenish yellow.

Labellum shortly clawed, fleshy, rigid, 3 lobed, claw very short, hollow at the base,
Lateral lobes 3.5-5x0,5-1mm linear, subulate, spreading straight or upwards & backwards, slightly narrower than midlobe, acute or obtuse
Midlobe 2-3x1-1,5mm, narrowly oblong, straight, slightly tapering to obtuse apex

Spur 5-7mm long, greenish-white, straight or slightly curved, very slightly thickened towards acute apex, shorter than ovary 
Column Short, anther bilocular, Stigmatic arms adnate to the base of lip
Ovary 7mm long, faintly ribbed.

Capsule 10x4mm, sessile, narrowly conical, 6 ridged
Flowering: September 
Fruiting: October onward

bottom of page