Eria pusilla (Griff.) Lindl. 1859 SECTION Conchidium TYPE for the section

Photo by © Tripetch P and the Treking Thai Blogspot

Common Name The Small Eria [refers to the plant] - In China Ge Lan - The Moss Ball Eria

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Xizang and Yunnan provinces of China, Hong Kong, Assam, eastern Himalayas, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam on damp rocks in dense forests or sheltered sides of vertical rock faces at elevations of 600 to 1500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing lithophyte with a long creeping, slender rhizome giving rise to .8" to 2" [2 to 5 cm] between each usually pairs of nearly subglobose to compressed globose pseudobulbs enveloped by reticulate, membraneous, sheaths and carrying 2 to 3, obovate-lanceolate, obovate to subelliptic to orbicular, 3 to 6 main veined, awned to obtuse, rounded to subtruncate, apicaulate apically, narrowing into the articulate, petilolate base leaves that blooms in the fall on a .4 to 2" [1 to 5 cm] long, 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence with ovate, shortly aristate to acuminate floral bracts.

Very similar to E sinica but this E pusilla differs in the longer sepals and petals. They are found in the same locations in Hong Kong.

Synonyms *Conchidium pusillum Griff. 1851; Phreatia uniflora Wight 1851; Pinalia pusilla (Griff.) Kuntze 1891; Porpax pusilla (Griff.) Schuit., Y.P.Ng & H.A.Pedersen 2018

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen lieferung 11 Schlechter/Brieger 1981 drawing fide; Opera Botanica #62 Orchid Genera in Thailand X Seidenfaden 1982 drawing fide; Opera Botanica #62 Orchid Genera in Thailand X Seidenfaden 1982 as E musicola var oblonga = Eria oblonga; Identification of the Orchids [Orchidaceae Juss.] Vietnam Averyanov 1994; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 as Conchidium pussilum; Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 4 part 1 Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase and Rasmussen 2005; The Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 drawing ok; Native Orchids From Gaoligongshan Mountains, China Xiaohua, Xiaodong and Xiaochun 2009 photo; A Field Guide to the Orchids of China Singchi, Zhongjian, Yibo, Xiaohua and Zhanhuo 2009 photo ok; Flora of China Vol 25 Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2009 as Conchidium pussilum; Flora of China Vol 25 Illustrations Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2010 as Conchidium pussilum drawing fide; The Wild Orchids in Yunnan Xu Xiang Ye & Liu 2010 as Conchidium pusillum photos fide; The Wild Orchids of Hong Kong Barretto, Cribb and Gale 2011 as Conchidium pussilum drawing/photo fide; Wild Orchids of Myanmar Taunggyi 2014 as E sinica photo good; A Century of New Orchid Records in Bhutan Royal Government of Bhutan 2017 as Conchidium pusillum drawing/photo fide; Atlas of Native Orchids of China Vol 2 Jin Xiaohua, Li Jianwu and Ye Deping 2019 as Conchidium pussilum photo fide;

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