Nervilia holochila (F.Muell.) Schltr. 1906

Plant

Photos by © Clements/Jones and The Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids Website

Fragrance Full shade Hot Spring

Common Name or Meaning The Full Lipped Nervilia - In Australia The Ribbed Shield Orchid

Flower Size

Found in northern Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland on rainforest margins, open forests and around swamps at elevations of sealevel to 300 meters as a small sized, hot growing terrestrial with a solitary, fleshy, rounded tuber giving rise in the spring to a terminal, 6 to 10" [15 to 25 cm] long, fleshy, successively single, 1 to 6 flowered inflorescence which gives rise after flowering from the base, solitary, stiffly erect, broadly ovate, dark green, 7 prominently veined, acute to acuminate, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf.

The flowers are resupinate and they are pleasingly fragrant.

Synonyms *Pogonia holochila F.Muell. 1866

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Australia Nicholls 1969 drawing fide; Orchids of Papua New Guinea Millar 1999 photo fide; Native orchids of Australia Jones 2006 photo fide;

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