!Ascocentrum garayi E.A.Christenson 1992 Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name Garay's Ascocentrum [American Taxomonist current] - In Thailand - Phum suwan - Khem saet

Flower Size 1/2" [2cm]

Found in the Himalayas thru Malaysia and Vietnam on trees in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests at elevations of sealevel to 1000 meters, it is a small plant, that is hot to warm growing, with an erect, stout, stem enveloped by many persistent, distichous, leaf bases carrying distichous, ligulate, conduplicate leaves that are toothed apically and having an erect, conical, 4 to 10" [10 to 24 cm] long, densely flowered inflorescence, blooms mostly in the spring. Needs high humidity and wood slat basket culture with hot to warm temperatures and bright indirect light.

This species and A miniatum are very similar and more often than not this species is sold as A miniatum. The two differ in this species having flowers with deep solid orange color and very elliptical petals and sepals as well as a straight lip, A miniatum on the other hand has clearer, more transparent orange flowers with more noticeable veining and the sepals and petals are much narrower and the lip is recurved.

Synonyms Ascocentrum miniatum Lindley 1913; Gastrochilus miniatus [Lindley]O. Ktze. 1891; *Saccolabium miniatum Lindley 1847

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Von Java J.J.Sm. 1905 as Saccolabium miniatum; Flora of Malaya Holtum 1953 as Ascocentrum miniatum; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 as Ascocentrum miniatum, drawing photo not; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 5 1979 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 6 1984 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 2 1986 photo as A miniatum; Miniature Orchids Northern 1988; Orchids of Java Comber 1990 as A miniatum; The Orchids of Penninsular Malaysia and Singapore Wood & Seidenfaden 1992 as Ascocentrum miniatum; Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 1 1997 photo as A miniatum; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 6 2000 photo as a miniatum; A Field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2001 as Ascocentrum miniatum; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 1 2003 photo as A miniatum; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 11 2003 drawing; Flora's Orchid Nash & La Croix 2005; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 4 2007 photo; Miniature Orchids Frownie 2007