Thecostele alata [Roxb.] Parish & Rchb. f. 1874
Plant Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl
Plant and Inflorescence Photo courtesy of Nik Fahmi and his Vortex Orchid Page
to 
EARLY 
and 
Common Name The Winged Thecostele [Refers to the winged column of the flower]
Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]
Found from Bangladesh, Myanamar, Thailand, Malayasia, Laos, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines in evergreen in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests and savana-like woodlands at elevations of sealevel to 1800 meters as a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte occuring in lowland and lower montane forests with clustered, ovoid to ellipdsoidal, compressed, unifoliate, deeply sulcate pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, thinly coriaceous, arcuate, linear-lancelate, to elliptic-obovate, acute leaf with a grooved stalk that blooms on a pendant, laxly 20 to 40 flowered, 6 to 20" [15 to 50 cm] long, slender, flexuous, branching inflorescence arising from the base of the mature, often leafless pseudobulb with small, elliptic-lanceolate floral bracts with short lived, yet successively opening so they last for months, flowers occuring in the early spring as new growths appear. The inflorescence lengthen as the flowers open and new ones arise and the process can take 2 to 3 months. The cute, insect-like flowers are slightly scented and are incredibly intricate if viewed with a magnifying glass. Water copiuosly and fertilize often as the new growths arise and grow but as they mature in late summer and early fall it is best to slowly decrease the water and fertilizer until none is given for a month towards the end of the winter. During this time the leaves will yellow and fall, do not worry they are meant to do this but in nature you can often find it with leaves even as it is blooming. I mounted mine in a wood slat basket so the inflorescence can hang over the side.
Synonyms Collabium annamense Gagnep. 1950; Collabium wrayi Hook. f. 1890; *Cymbidium alatum Roxb. 1832; Pholidota elmeri Ames 1912; Thecostele elmeri (Ames) Ames 1952; Thecostele maculosa Ridl. 1893 ; Thecostele poilanei Gagnep. 1931; Thecostele wrayi (Hook. f.) Rolfe 1912; Thecostele zollingeri Rchb. f. 1857
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1867 as Thecostele zollingeri; drawing fide; Orchids of Burma Grant 1895/1995 as Thecostele zolingeri; Die Orchideen Von Java J.J.Sm. 1905; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 drawing, photo fide; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984; 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;
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