Habenaria rhynchocarpa (Thwaites) Trimen 1885 SECTION Macroceratitis Kraenzl
Photo by Orchid Web Blog
Photo by © Niranjan Sant Indian Nature Watch Website
Common Name The Beak Like Fruit Habenaria
Flower Size .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm]
Found only in India and Sri Lanka along roadsides and on road banks at elevations of 610 to 1220 meters as a medium sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with clavate tubers giving rise to an erect, slender stem carrying sessile, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, basally clasping leaves taht blooms in the fall and winter on an erect, terminal, 2 to 3" [5 to 7.5 cm] long, densely several flowered inflroescence with narrowly lanceolate, finely acuminate, denticulate, 3 veined floral bracts.
CAUTION This species is often confused with the species H stenopetala but they are different. Lindley described 2 different H stenopetala in the same publication, this one is a synonym of H rhynchocarpa and is found on the Indian Subcontinent. The other is the real H stenopetala which has a much wider range than H rhynchocarpa.
Synonyms Habenaria stenopetala Lindl. pg 324 1835; Plantaginorchis rhynchocarpa (Thwaites) Szlach. 2004; Platanthera rhynchocarpa Thwaites 1861
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 324 Lindley 1835 as H stenopetala homonym.
Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 310 Thwaites 1861 as Platanthera rhynchocarpa
* Syst. Cat. Fl. Pl. Ceylon: 91 Trimen 1885
A Century of Indian Orchids Vol 5 Hooker 1895 as H stenopetala
A Century of Indian Orchids Vol 5: 297 Hooker 1895 as H stenopetala drawing ok;
The Orchids of North-Western Himalaya Vol IX Part II Duthie 1906;
Indian Orchids A Field Guide to Identification and Culture Vol 1 Pradhan 1976 as H stenopetala drawing fide;
A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon Vol 2 Dassanayake & Fosberg 1981 drawing fide;
Richardiana 4: 65 Szlach 2004 as Plantaginorchis rhynchocarpa
The Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 as H stenopetala drawing ok; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007;
Orchids of Odisha Misra 2014 drawing fide;
Lankesteriana Vol 18 [1]: 23–62 Jalal & Jayanth 2018;
Orchids of Maharashtra Jalal 2018;
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