Habenaria rhodocheila Hance 1856 Photo by © Eric Hunt and His Orchid Website

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Common Name The Red-Lipped Habenaria - in Thailand - Sang Hin

Flower Size 1 1/2" [3.75 cm]

This is a showy, medium sized, terrrestrial or lithophyte growing on mossy rocks with bulbous or fleshy roots and a stem with 1 to 2 below and 3 to 4 above, linear-lanceolate, attenuate into a petiole below, acuminate or mucronate at the apex leaves that blooms in the late summer and fall with about 10 flowers on a terminal, to about 2' [60 cm] long, erect, several [10] flowered raceme with long-lasting, color variable flowers and ovate bracts and is a cool to hot growing plant from South China, Thailand and Vietnam in lowland evergreen forests along streams and rivers at elevations around 1100 meters.

Synonyms Habenaria militaris Rchb.f 1186; Habenaria militaris var. philippinensis Ames 1908; Habenaria pusila Rchb.f 1878; Habenaria rhodocheila subsp. philippinensis (Ames) Christenson 1992; Habenaria rhodocheila var. philippinensis (Ames) Ames in ?.; Habenaria xanthocheila Ridley 1896; Smithanthe rhodochelia (Hance) Szlach. & Marg. 2004; Smithanthe rhodochelia subsp. philippinensis (Ames) Szlach. & Marg. 2004

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchdis of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitnand 1959; AOS Bulletin Vol 61 No 3/227-9 1991 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 63 No 3 1994 drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 2 1998 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 12 1998 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 5 1999 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 9 1999 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 2 2001 photo; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003 as H rhodocheila var philippinense; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 9 2006 photo