Epipogium roseum (D.Don) Lindl., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 1: 177 (1857).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Limodorum roseum D.Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal.: 30 (1825).
Ceratopsis rosea (D.Don) Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 384 (1840).
Galera rosea (D.Don) Blume, Mus. Bot. 2: 188 (1856).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Galera nutans Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 415 (1825).
Podanthera pallida Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: 22 (1851).
Epipogium nutans (Blume) Rchb.f., Bonplandia (Hannover) 5: 36 (1857).
Epipogium guilfoylii F.Muell., Fragm. 8: 30 (1873).
Epipogium tuberosum Duthie, Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 9(2): 151 (1906).
Epipogium africanus Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 45: 399 (1911).
Epipogium nutans var. celebicus Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 5 (1911).
Epipogium rolfei (Hayata) Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 5 (1911).
Galera rolfei Hayata, J. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo 30(1): 348 (1911).
Epipogium kassnerianum Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 370 (1914).
Galera kusukusensis Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formosan. 4: 121 (1914).
Epipogium kusukusense (Hayata) Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 4: 153 (1919).
Epipogium makinoanum Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 4: 153 (1919).
Gastrodia schinziana Kraenzl., Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zürich 74: 66 (1929).
Epipogium sinicum C.L.Tso, Sunyatsenia 1: 132 (1933).
Epipogium pooneranthum Fukuy., Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 32: 243 (1942).
Stereosandra schinziana (Kraenzl.) Garay, Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 13: 32 (1954).
Epipogium dentilabellum Ohtani & S.Suzuki, Sci. Rep. Yokosuka City Mus. 6: 28 (1961).
Epipogium sessanum S.N.Hegde & A.N.Rao, J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 3: 598 (1982).
Epipogium indicum H.J.Chowdhery, G.D.Pal & G.S.Giri, Nordic J. Bot. 13: 419 (1993).
Description:
Plant leafless, saprophytic. Rhizome 2.5-5 cm long, 0.15-0.35 cm in diameter, subterranean, ovoid, tuber-like, multi-nodial, horizontal. Stem 18-60 cm tall, erect, fleshy, hollow, glabrous, brownish at the base, whitish or pinkish-white with red streaks towards the apex. Cauline bracts up to 8, ca. I cm long, ovate-lanceolate, acute, herbaceous, amplexicaul, shorter than internodes. Inflorescence 12-20 cm long, 15-25- or more-flowered, lax. Flowers medium-sized, tubular, not opening widely, nonresupinate, white. Flower bracts ca. 15 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, acute, thin, membraneous. Pedicel ca. 7 mm long, non-twisted or slightly twisted. Ovary 4-6 mm long, swollen. Dorsal sepal 9-12 mm long, 2 mm wide, narrow lanceolate, acute, thin, single-nerved. Petals 8-10 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, oblong-lanceolate, acute, thin, single-nerved. Lateral sepals of the same size, obliquely narrow lanceolate, acute, thin, 'singlenerved. Lip 9-10 mm long, 4.5-5 mm wide, sessile, ovate, acute, cochleate, with two or three verrucose crests along its length or in its apical part. Gynostemium 4-4.5 mm long, typical for the genus. Fruit pedicellate, capsule ca. twice as long as the ovary.
Habitat:
Dense humid forests, semi-deciduous forests with Sterculiaceae and Ubraceae. January-March, August-September.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, hot to cool growing erect, leafless, mycoheterotrophic terrestrial.
Distribution:
Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (Annobon, Bioko), the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Uganda, Kenya, Angola, Malawi, Indo-Malaysia to Australia, Pacific Islands. Alt. 550-1700 m.
References:
Orchidaceae of West-central Africa, vol. 1, Gdansk University Press Gdansk 2010; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984
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