Calanthe aristulifera Rchb.f. 1878 Photo by © Pieter C. Brouwer and his Nature Photo Website

Flowers in situ Japan Photo by © Takato NATSU

Common Name The Small Spike Calanthe - in Japan Kirishima Ebine - In China Qiao Ju Xia Ji Lan

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and South China in damp places along valleys and in dense forests at elevations of 1500 to 2500 meters as a cold growing terrestrial with subovoid pseudobulbs enveloped by 3 to 4 sheaths and carrying 2 to 3, well developed at blooming, not deciduous, elliptic-oblanceolate, papery, acute, cuneate below into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the spring on an axillary, puberulent, 8 to 20" [20 to 50 cm] long, laxly 5 to 10 flowered inflorescence with persistent, glabrous, lanceolate, acuminate floral bracts

Synonyms Alismorchis aristulifera Kuntze 1891; Calanthe amamiana Fukuy. 1952; Calanthe amamiana var. latilabellata Ida ?; Calanthe aristulifera var. amamiana (Fukuy.) Hatus. 1971; Calanthe elliptica Hayata 1911; Calanthe furcata f. raishaensis (Hayata) M.Hiroe 1971; Calanthe kirishimensis Yatabe 1893; Calanthe raishaensis Hayata 1916; Calanthe tokunoshimensis Hatus. & Ida 1969; Calanthe tokunoshimensis f. latilabella (Ida) Hatus. 1971

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 5 1997 photo as C amamiana;

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