!Phaius tankervilleae [Banks]Blume 1852 Photo By Lourens Grobler

Flower Closeup Photo Courtesy of Dale and Deni Borders

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Common Name Nun's Orchid - Kunai [tall grass] Orchid - Emma Tankerville's Phaius [English Orchid Enthusiast]- in Thailand Ueang phrao

Flower Size 4 1/2" [11.5 cm]

This large, terrestrial species is a hot to warm growing native of Australia, the Pacific Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, and southern China at elevations up to 1300 meters in lower montane woods and in grasslands in moist depressions with black soil with ovoid or conical, green pseudobulbs enveloped basally by severa leaf bearing sheaths with elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, plicate, thin-textured, petiolate leaves that blooms in the spring. The more than 4' [120 cm] long, erect, basal, racemose inflorescence, after blooming and the fall of the dead flowers, can be cut off and placed on sand in a long, plastic, plant flat and partially covered, put in a deep shaded, humid, well watered area and in 2 to 3 months, plantlets will begin to grow from the old floral bracts. After 6 months they can be transplanted into a pot. This species has become an invasive species in some countries such as Jamaica and Hawaii. In Papua the smoked flowers are eaten as a contraceptive.

Synonyms Bletia incarvillei R. Br. ?; Bletia tankervilleae R. Br. 1813; Calanthe bachmaensis Gagnep. 1950; Calanthe speciosa Viell. 1861; Dendrobium veratrifolium Roxb. 1832; Limodorum incarvilliae Pers. 1807; Limodorum spectabile Salisb. 1796; *Limodorum tankervilleae Banks 1788; Pachyne spectabilis Salisb. 1812; Phaius australis F. Muell. 1888; Phaius bernaysii F. Mueller ex Bernays 1873; Phaius bicolor Lindley 1831; Phaius blumei Lindley 1831; Phaius blumei Lindley var assamicus Rchb.f 1882; Phaius blumei Lindley var pulcher King & Pantl. 1898; Phaius carroni F. Muell. 1860 ; Phaius giganteus Hemsl. 1882; Phaius grandifolius Rchb.f 1828; Phaius grandifolius Lour 1790; Phaius grandifolius Lindl.1831; Phaius grandifolius var. superbus Van Houtte 1852; Phaius incarvillei O.Ktze. 1891; Phaius incarvillei O.Ktze. var speciosa; Phaius leucophaeus F. Muell. 1863; Phaius mannii Rchb.f 1878; Phaius oweniae Sander 1894; Phaius roeblingii O'Brien 1895; Phaius tankervilleae f. veronicae S.Y.Hu & Barretto 1976; Phaius tankervilleae var. pulchra (King & Pantl.) Karth. 1989; Phaius tankervilleae var. superbus (Van Houtte) S.Y.Hu 1974; Phaius tenuis Rchb. f. 1857; Phaius veratrifolius (Roxb.) Lindl. 1840; Tankervillia cantoniensis Link 1829

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Burma Grant 1895/1995 as P wallichii; Die Orchideen Von Java J.J.Sm. 1905 as P incarvillei; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 2 1957; Flora of Malaya Holttum 1957; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 2 1962 photo as P grandifolius; AOS Bulletin Vol 33 No 3 1964 photo as P grandifolius; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 4 1966; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 7 1966 photo as P grandifolius; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 1 1980 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 1 1961 photo; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 3 1985; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 7 1958 photo; Orchids of Vanuatu Lewis & Cribb 1989; A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994; The Orchids of Samoa Cribb & Whistler 1996; Native Orchids of China in Colour Singchi, Zhanhuo and Yibo 1999 photo fide; Lindleyana Vol 15 No 4 2000; Lindleyana Vol 17 No 1 2002; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000; Orchids of Java Comber 1990; Native Orchids of New Caledonia Societe' Neo-Caledonienne D' Orchidophile 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 4 1997 photo; The Wild Orchids of China Tsi, Chen & Mori 1997; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 9 2000 photo; Orchids of Sumatra Comber 2001; Beautiful Orchids of Nepal Rajbhandari & Bhattarai 2001; Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 8 2003 photo; Flora Malesiana Orchids of the Philippines Vol I Agoo, Shuiteman and de Vogel 2003; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 2 2004 photo; Wild Orchids in Myanamar Vol 2 Tanaka 2004; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 4 2006; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 1 2007 photo; Flora Malesiana: Orchids of New Guinea Vol 5 Schuiteman & D de Vogel 2008; Native Orchids From Gaoligongshan Mountains, China Xiaohua, Xiaodong and Xiaochun 2009 photo fide;

Phaius tankervilliae var. alba [Aiton]Blume

Photo By Jay Pfahl

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References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Australian Orchid Review Vol 70 No 4 2005;

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