Staurochilus luchuensis (Rolfe) Fukuy. 1942

Closer view of Column and Lip Photos courtesy of Timothy Cholcto

Common Name or Meaning The Luchu Archipelago Staurochilus [The Ryukyu Islands south of Japan]

Flower Size 1 1/4" [3 cm]

Found in the the Ryukyu Archipelago south of Japan as well as the Philippines at elevations of 300 to 1300 meters as a giant sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with an erect stem carrying many very leathery, gracefully arching, unequally bilobed apically leaves that blooms on an axillary, erect, branching, many [25] flowered inflorescence carrying sweetly fragrant flowers

Synonyms Cleisostoma ionosmum fo. lutschuense Makino 1907; Pomatocalpa luchuense (Rolfe) T. Tang & F.T. Wang 1961; Staurochilus lushuensis (Rolfe) Fukuy. 1942; *Stauropsis luchuensis Rolfe 1907; Trichoglottis ionosmum Hayata 1917; Trichoglottis ionosma var. luchuensis (Rolfe) S.S. Ying 1977; Trichoglottis luchuensis (Rolfe) Garay & H.R. Sweet 1972; Vandopsis luchuensis (Rolfe) Schltr. 1911

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of The Philippines Cootes 2001 as Staurochilus ionosmum;