Epipogium Borkh.
Derivation of name: Greek Epi, upon & pogon, beard in reference to bearded papillose labellum of this species
Salient features:
Holomycotrophic terrestrial herb
Rhizome tuberous or obscure but with coralloid roots, covered in root hair
Stem erect lacking chlorophyll
Leaves reduced to buff or whitish scales
Inflorescence racemose, ephemeral, lasting about ten days before withering, rachis terete
Flowers pendent non resupinate or resupinate,often self- pollinating,
Sepals & Petals sub similar connivant or spreading free lanceolate
Labellum sessile entire with 2to 6 lamellate, papillose bearded longitudinal callus
Spur basal shorter than labellum
Column fleshy, clinandrium membranous, anther incumbent; pollinia 2 granulose, clavate, deeply dissected with slender caudicle , small viscidia, rostellum broad. Ovary ellipsoidal ribbed
Epipogium roseum (D.Don) Lindl.
In J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 1: 177 (1857)
Ceratopsis rosea (D.Don) Lindl. in Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 384 (1840)
Galera rosea (D.Don) Blume in Mus. Bot. 2: 188 (1856)
Limodorum roseum D.Don in Prodr. Fl. Nepal.: 30 (1825)
Epipogium africanus Schltr. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 45: 399 (1911)
Epipogium dentilabellum Ohtani & S.Suzuki in Sci. Rep. Yokosuka City Mus. 6: 28 (1961)
Epipogium guilfoylii F.Muell. in Fragm. 8: 30 (1873)
Epipogium indicum H.J.Chowdhery, G.D.Pal & G.S.Giri in Nordic J. Bot. 13: 419 (1993)
Epipogium kassnerianum Kraenzl. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 370 (1914)
Epipogium kusukusense (Hayata) Schltr. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 4: 153 (1919)
Epipogium makinoanum Schltr. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 4: 153 (1919)
Epipogium nutans (Blume) Rchb.f. in Bonplandia (Hannover) 5: 36 (1857)
Epipogium nutans var. celebicus Schltr. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 5 (1911)
Epipogium pooneranthum Fukuy. in Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 32: 243 (1942)
Epipogium rolfei (Hayata) Schltr. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 5 (1911)
Epipogium sessanum S.N.Hegde & A.N.Rao in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 3: 598 (1982)
Epipogium sinicum C.L.Tso in Sunyatsenia 1: 132 (1933)
Epipogium tuberosum Duthie in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 9(2): 151 (1906)
Galera kusukusensis Hayata in Icon. Pl. Formosan. 4: 121 (1914)
Galera nutans Blume in Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 415 (1825)
Galera rolfei Hayata in J. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo 30(1): 348 (1911)
Gastrodia schinziana Kraenzl. in Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zürich 74: 66 (1929)
Podanthera pallida Wight in Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: 22 (1851)
Stereosandra schinziana (Kraenzl.) Garay in Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 13: 32 (1954)
Ecology Holomycotrophic terrestrial herb, found growing in dense undergrowth in humus rich soil on decayed litter in ever green forest
Rhizome an ovoid horizontal tuber, about 5X3.5 cm, with few short internodes.
Scapes leafless, 10-40 cm high, hollow, fleshy, about 1 cm thick at base, gradually narrowing upwards, sparsely sheathed in the basal region, yellowish.
Flowers drooping, white, pedicellate, bracteate; pedicels about 3 mm long, curved.
Bracts 7-9X3-4 mm, shorter than the ovary.
Sepals and Petals 8-11x2-4 mm, not much spreading, narrowly linear, acute, entire, 3-nerved.
Lip about equalling sepals and petals, concave, obovate-oblong in outline, irregularly crenulate, with the sides raised at the base, with a small blunt apiculum or without it; upper surface minutely warted in 2 rows; colour white with a few reddish brown spots.
Spur short, somewhat bulbous, pointing backwards below the ovary, obtuse.
Column very short. Anther larger than the column.
Stigmatic surface at the base of the column, prominent;
Ovary broadly ovoid, drooping, pale yellow, 8X 4 mm.
Flowering: July
