Ascocentrum curvifolium [Lindley]Schlechter 1913
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
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Common Name The Curved Leafed Ascocentrum - In Thailand - Khao kae - Khao khwai
Flower Size 3/4 to 1 1/8" [2 to 2.7 cm]
Found in Assam India, eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, southern China and Vietnam to the south on deciduous trees in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests at elevations of sealevel to 700 meters, as a small to medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with short, often bifurcate, stout, woody below stems covered by leaf bases carrying distichous, narrowly linear, strongly decurved, praemorse or bidentate apically leaves that blooms in the late spring and summer on a crowded, erect, 6 to 10" [15 to 25 cm] long, axillary, shorter than the leaves, densly many flowered inflorescence.
This species and A rubrum , which is often cited as a synonym of A curvifolim, are very similar but Lindley states the differences as being, A rubrum with an oval-acuminate fleshy apex lip while A curvifolium has a linear truncate lip, also that A rubrum has intensely red flowers while A curvifolium has orangey red flowers.
Synonyms Gastrochilus curvifolius O.Ktze. 1891; *Saccolabium curvifolium Lindley 1933; Saccolabium curvifolium var. luteum B.S.Williams 1871; Saccolabium miniatum Hooker not Lindley 1862; Vanda curvifolia ( Lindl. ) L.M.Gardiner 2012
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of Burma Grant 1895/95 as Saccolabium curvifolium; The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1914/82; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Saccolabium curvifolium drawing good; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 1 1963; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1963 drawing/photo fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 No 6 1967 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 37 No 3 1968 photo fide; Beautiful Thai Orchid Species Kamemoto & Sagarik 1975 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 6 1984 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 2 1986 as A curvifolium var citrinum photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 51 No 4 1987 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 #11 1984 photo fide; Miniature Orchids Northern 1988; Opera Botanica #95 Seidenfaden 1988 drawing/photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 19/20 1129 - 1264 Brieger 1988 photo fide; Simon & Schuster's Guide to Orchids Fanfani & Rossi 1988; Miniature Orchids McQueen 1992; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992 photo fide; Illustrated Encyclopedia or Orchids Pridgeon 1992; Thai Orchid Species Rakpaibulsombat 1992 photo fide; Identification of the Orchids [Orchidaceae Juss.] Vietnam Averyanov 1994; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 7 1998 photo fide; A Field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2001 photo fide; Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 1 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 2 2003 photo fide; Wild Orchids in Myanamar Vol 1 Tanaka 2003; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 no 9 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 1 2005 photo fide; A field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2005 photo ok; The World's Most Beautiful Orchids Allikas & Nash 2005 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 70 No 6 2005/6 photo; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #2 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #5 2016 as Vanda curvifolia photo fide;
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