Earina valida Rchb.f. 1876
Plant and FlowersPhotos by Takato NATSU from Japan and his Japan Orchids Page
Flower Closeup Photo by Copyright © Rogier Van Vugt and His PBase Orchid Photo Website
Common Name The Strong Earina
Flower Size .15" [.45mm]
Found in Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa and Vanuatu in montane forests at elevations of 300 to 1100 meters as a large to giant sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with clustered, ovoid pseudobulbs enveloped completely by persistent leafless sheaths and carrying distichous, arranged in a fan, lanceolate-linear, unequally bilobed apically, becoming conduplicate towards the base leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, 25" [62.5 cm] long, racemose, many flowered inflorescence with many, all along the top 1/2, distichously arranged, .4" [1 cm or less] long, 4 flowered branches.
Similar to E floripectin but this one differs in having a narrower column.
Synonyms Agrostophyllum drakeanum Kraenzl. 1903; Earina brousmichei Kraenzl. 1928; Earina laxior Rchb.f. 1878; Earina plana Rchb.f. 1878; Earina samoensiana F.Muell. & Kraenzl. 1894
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1878 as E laxior; Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1878 as E plana; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1878 as E laxior; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1878 as E plana; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 6 321 - 384 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1975 as E samoensis; Flore de la Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependences Vol 8 Orchidaceae Halle 1977 drawing fide; Orchids of Vanuatu Lewis & Cribb 1989; Native Orchids of New Caledonia Societe' Neo-Caledonienne D' Orchidophile 1995 photo good; Orchids of Samoa Cribb & Whistler 1996 photo fide; Native Orchids of New Caledonia SNCO 1995 photo fide
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