Vanilla siamensis Rolfe ex Downie 19256 SUBGENUS Xanata SECTION Tethya
Photo by David Kuehn
Common Name The Thai Vanilla - in Thailand - Phulu chang, tong pha - In China Da Xiang Jia Lan
Flower Size 2.4" [6 cm]
Found in Thailand and southern Yunnan province of China in hill evergreen and tropical evergreen forests at elevations around 200 to 1400 meters as a giant sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with a climbing stem carrying a root and a leaf at each node, with the elliptic, fleshy, glabrous, petiolate base leaves all along that blooms in the spring through summer on an axillary, racemose, 4 to 5.6" [10 to 14 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence.
"This species is characterized by its large, broadly elliptic or ovate, shortly apiculate leaves. The large flowers have very long, flat papillae at the lip apex. It is similar to V. abundiflora and V. kinabaluensis. We here consider V. pierrei to be conspecific. It was described from immature buds, but the general appearence is the same as V. siamensis. Vanilla siamensis is a montane species found from 700 to 1300 meters in elevation." Soto Arenas & Cribb 2010
Synonyms Vanilla pierrei Gagnep. 1931
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 drawing; Dansk Botanisk Arkiv Bind 32 nr 2 Orchids of Thailand VI Neottiideae Seidenfaden 1978 drawing fide; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1964 corrections; Identification of the Orchids [Orchidaceae Juss.] Vietnam Averyanov 1994 as H pierrei; Native Orchids of China in Colour Singchi, Zhanhuo and Yibo 1999 photo fide; A field Guide to the Wild Orchids of Thailand Vaddhanaphuti 2005 photo fide; A Field Guide to the Orchids of China Singchi, Zhongjian, Yibo, Xiaohua and Zhanhuo 2009 photo fide; 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 plant only; The Wild Orchids in Yunnan Xu Xiang Ye & Liu 2010 photos fide; Lankesteriana 9(3): 355-398 Soto Arenas & Cribb 2010; Flora Of Thailand Orchidaceae Vol 12 Part 1 Pedersen, Kurzweil, Suddee & Cribb 2011 drawing/photo fide; Turczaninowia 2011, 14(2) : 15–100 Averyanov 2011 drawing fide; Atlas of Native Orchids of China Vol 1 Jin Xiaohua, Li Jianwu and Ye Deping 2019 photo fide
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