Platanthera fuscescens (L.) Kraenzl. 1899 Photo by © Sights of Shiretoko Website

Common Name The Brownish Platanthera

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in eastern Russia, China, Mongolia and Korea along gullies in forests at elevations of 400 to 4300 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with a thick, erect stem with 1 to 2 tubular sheaths below the 2 t o 3, larger, lower, obovate to elliptic, erect, spreading, obtuse, gradually constricted into the amplexicaul, clasping base leaves and has 1 to few bract-like small, leaves above that blooms in the fall on an erect, several to many flowered, racemose inflorescence.

CAUTION the photo above does not match the only reference that I have, the lip is way too thin in this one. Also see P souliei as it is cast as a synonym of this species but there is no resemblance.

Synonyms Habenaria pugionifera W.W.Sm. 1921; *Orchis fuscescens L. 1753; Perularia fuscescens (L.) Lindl. 1835; Platanthera ditmariana f. longibracteata Miyabe & Kudo 1932; Platanthera fuscescens var. orientalis Kraenzl. 1913; Platanthera herbiola Lindl. 1835; Platanthera pugionifera (W.W.Sm.) Schltr.1924; Pseudodiphryllum chorisianum f. elata (Finet) Nevski 1935; Tulotis asiatica H.Hara 1955; Tulotis fuscescens (L.) Raf. ex Czerep. 1973

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Native Orchids of Shaanxi Shaanxi Science & Technology Press 2007 photo as Tulotis fuscescens hmm lip too broad in book; Orchids of Huanglong Perner, Tang Si-Yuan 2007 photos ok; Flora of China Vol 25 Zhengyi, Raven & Deyuan 2009 as P souliei;

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