Liparis gigantea C.L.Tso 1933

Photo by © Eric Hunt

Drawing

drawing by © J.N. Fitch and the Curtis Botanical Magazine

To

Common Name The Giant Liparis - In China Zi Hua Yang Er Suan - The Giant Purple Liparis

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in southeastern Tibet, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Xizang and Yunnan Provinces of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in broad-leaved evergreen forests, shaded and damp places on on thin soil on rocks at elevations of 300 to 1700 meters as a medium sized, hot to cool growing terrestrial with to 4, erect, slender, cylindrical, fleshy, smooth, 3 to 4 jointed pseudobulbs carrying 2 to 4, occasionally 5, thin textured, plicate, obliquely ovate-elliptic, acuminate, shallowly wavy margins, gradually narrowing below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the spring on an erect, terminal, glabrous, 4 to 20" [10 to 50 cm] long, distinctly 5 ridged, narrowly 5 winged, green becoming purplish olive green above, well spaced, 10 to 30 flowered inflorescence with sterile, reflexed, small, triangular-ovate, purple with green margined bracts and triangular floral bracts.

Seidenfaden states that this orchid, L nigra and L kikiroensis are all quite similar with this one being a medium sized [of the 3] plant with an average to somewhat longer and narrower lip.

Synonyms Liparis macrantha Rolfe ex Hemsl. 1895

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 as L macrantha drawing fide; Botanisk Tidsskrift Bild 70 Hft 1 Contributions to the flora of Thailand VI Seidenfaden 1975; Flora of China Vol 25 Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2009; Flora of China Vol 25 Illustrations Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2010 drawing fide; The Atlas of Wild Orchids in Hainan Island, China Shenyan and Junmei 2010 photo ok; The Wild Orchids of Hong Kong Barretto, Cribb and Gale 2011 drawing/photo fide;

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