Liparis atropurpurea Lindl. 1830 Photo by © Suranjan Fernando and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website

Plant and Inflorescence Photo by © The Enchanting Kerala Website

Drawing Drawing by © Pradhan

Common Name The Dark Purple Liparis

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Kerala and Tamil Nadu southern India and Sri Lanka on rocky cliffs at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with a stout stem carrying 3 to 4, ovate to orbicular, acute, shortly acuminate, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the summer on an erect, terminal, 4.4 to 8.8" [11 to 22 cm] long overall, rachis 2.2 to 4.4" [5.5 to 11 cm] long, successively 10 to 12 flowered inflorescence witha few sterile bracts with longer than the ovary floral bracts.

Synonyms Leptorkis lindleyana Kuntze 1891; Liparis olivacea Wight 1844; Liparis walkeriae Wight 1844; Platystylis atropurpurea (Lindl.) Lindl. 1830

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 47 #8 1978; Indian Orchids, Guide to Identification and Culture vol 2 Pradhan 1979 drawing fide; Orchids of Nilgiris Joseph 1987 drawing fide; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007

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