Galeola nudifolia Lour. 1790 Photo courtesy of Rosli Zakaria of Malaysia

Common Name The Leafless Galeola

Flower Size 1 1/4" [3 cm]

Found in the eastern Himalayas, Bhutan, Myanamar, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Moluccas, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra and Papua and New Guinea at elevations of sealevel to 2200 meters on shady, rocky, wet stream banks or in soils dampened by mists and splash along steep watercourses as a large to giant sized [to 20m], saphrophytic, leafless, vine-like, cool to hot growing terrestrial with rusty red-brown pubescent, climbing or sprawling, thick stems with 2 to 8 " long internodes carrying triangular, broad-based, reddish scale leaves and blooms on a many branched, each branch to .8" [2 cm] apart, to 12" [30 cm] long, inflorescence carrying the several to many, successively opening flowers towards the apex.

Synonyms Cranichis nudifolia (Lour.) Pers. 1807; Epidendrum galeola Raeusch. 1797; Erythrorchis kuhlii Rchb.f. 1865; Galeola hydra Rchb.f. 1865; Galeola kuhlii (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1865; Galeola pterosperma (Lindl.) Schltr. 1911; Galeola torana J.J.Sm. 1915; Vanilla pterosperma Lindl. 1832

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Burma Grqant 1895/1995 as Galeola hydra; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984 as Galeola kuhlii; Orchids of Java Comber 1990; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994; Orchids of Sumatra Comber 2001; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003; Flora Malesiana Orchids of New Guinea Vol III Shuiteman and de Vogel 2006; Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2007

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