Pecteilis gigantea (Sm.) Raf. 1837 Photo by © Shobha R and the Culture Sheet Dot Org

Drawing Drawing by © William Jackson Hooker and the Curtis Botanical Magazine at Botanicus

THROUGH

Common Name The Giant Pecteilis

Flower Size 2.4 to 4" [6 to 10 cm]

Found in Pakistan, western Himalayas, Assam, eastern Himalayas, Nepal and Myanamar at elevations up to 2200 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with a stem enveloped in the lower part by many funnel-shaped sheaths and carrying ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceoalte, acute, glabrous leaves that blooms in the summer through fall on a terminal, erect, 6.4 to 8" [16 to 20 cm] long, 2 to 6 flowered infloreescence with floral bracts that esceed the length of the ovary and carrying fragrant flowers

Very similar to P suzannae but it has shorter petals ammd the lip has shorter pectinate lateral lobes.

Synonyms Habenaria gigantea (Sm.) D.Don 1825; *Orchis gigantea Sm.1806; Platanthera gigantea (Sm.) Lindl. ex Wall 1832

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI Orchids of Kumaun Himalayas Pangtey, Samant and Rawat 1991; The Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 drawing/photo fide;

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