Chiloschista lunifera [Rchb.f]J.J. Sm. 1905

Photo by Kurt Keller

Another Flower?

Photo by Lourens Grobler

Another Color Form

Photo by Dale and Deni Borders

Another Color Form?

Photo by Eric Hunt, plant grown by Gerardus Staal

Plant with Incidental leaves

Photo by Jay Pfahl

FragrancePart sun HotWarmFall or Winter

Common Name The Moon Chilochista - In Thailand - Phraya rai bai

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in the easten Himalayas, India, Assam, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos at elevations of 150 to 600 meters as a small sized, leafless, hot to warm growing epiphyte with gray roots and an occasional small, deciduous leaf that blooms in the fall or winter on an erect, pubescent 3 to 12" [7 to 30 cm] long raceme arising from the mass of gray green roots carrying up to 20 fragrant flowers.

CAUTION Kurt's photo is an exact match for Seidenfaden 1988, the others not as much.

Synonyms Chiloschista indica J.J. Sm. 1913; Chiloschista lunifera J.J. Sm 1905; Sarcochilus luniferus (Rchb. f.) Benth. ex Hook. f. 1889; *Thrixspermum luniferum Rchb. f. 1868

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Burma Grant 1895/1995 as Sarcochilus luniferus; The Orchids of Sikkim-Himalaya Part 1 King & Pantling 1898 as Sarcochilus luniferus drawing good; Die Orchideen Von Java J.J.Sm. 1905 in error, actually C javanica; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as Sarcochilus luniferus; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Sarcochilus luniferus drawing hmm; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1963 drawing/photo fide; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1965 corrections; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Indian Orchids, Guide to Identification and Culture vol 2 Pradhan 1979 drawing good; Minature Orchids Northen 1980; Orquideologia Vol 15 #2-3 1982 photo ok; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 22 1329 - 1392 Brieger 1989; Thai Orchid Species Rakpaibulsombat 1992 photo fide; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Launert 1992; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992; The Orchids of Penninsular Malaysia and Singapore Seidenfaden & Wood 1992 as C. javanica; Phylogeny and Classification of the Orchid Family Dressler 1993 photo good; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; A Field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2001; Orchid Flora Of Kamrup District Assam Iswar Chandra Barua 2001 drawing ok; A field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2001 photo good; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 3 2003 photo ok?; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 4 2005 photo fide; A field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2005 photo ok; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005 ;Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; Taiwania 61(4):319-354 November 2016, New Species of Orchids (Orchidaceae) in the Flora of Vietnam Averyanov, Nong, Nguyen and Truong 2016 Drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #7 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #8 2019 photo fide;

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