Liparis condylobulbon, commonly known as the tapered sphinx orchid[2] or 细茎羊耳蒜 (xi jing yang er suan)[3] is a plant in the orchid family. It is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with crowded, glossy green, cylinder-shaped pseudobulbs, each with two linear to lance-shaped leaves and between fifteen and thirty five pale green to cream-coloured flowers with an orange labellum. This orchid usually grows on trees and rocks in rainforest from Taiwan and Indochina to the south-west Pacific.

Tapered sphinx orchid
Liparis condylobulbon in the Osaka Prefectural Flowers Garden
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Subtribe: Malaxidinae
Genus: Liparis
Species:
L. condylobulbon
Binomial name
Liparis condylobulbon
Synonyms[1]
Synonyms
  • Leptorkis condylobulbon (Rchb.f.) Kuntze
  • Cestichis condylobulbon (Rchb.f.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones
  • Stichorkis condylobulbon (Rchb.f.) Marg., Szlach. & Kulak
  • Liparis nesophila Rchb.f.
  • Gyrostachys nesophila (Rchb.f.) Kuntze
  • Liparis confusa J.J.Sm.
  • Liparis confusa var. amboinensis J.J.Sm.
  • Cestichis vestita Ames
  • Cestichis clemensiae Ames
  • Liparis savaiiensis H.Fleischm. & Rech.
  • Liparis persimilis Schltr.
  • Liparis amboinensis (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm.
  • Liparis dolichopoda Hayata
  • Liparis clemensiae (Ames) Ames
  • Liparis confusa var. latifolia J.J.Sm.
  • Liparis treubii J.J.Sm.
  • Cestichis persimilis (Schltr.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones
  • Stichorkis persimilis (Schltr.) Marg., Szlach. & Kulak

Description edit

Liparis condylobulbon is an epiphytic or lithophytic, clump-forming herb with crowded, glossy green, cylinder-shaped pseudobulbs 80–150 mm (3.1–5.9 in) long and 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) wide. Each pseudobulb has two thin, linear to lance-shaped leaves 80–200 mm (3.1–7.9 in) and 15–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) wide. Between fifteen and thirty five pale green to cream-coloured flowers, 3.5–4.5 mm (0.14–0.18 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide are borne on a stiff flowering stem 70–150 mm (2.8–5.9 in) long. The sepals are 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.12 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide, the petals a similar length but narrower. The labellum is orange, about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) wide with a notched tip. Flowering occurs between December and August.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming edit

Liparis condylobulbon was first formally described in 1862 by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach who published the description in Hamburger Garten- und Blumenzeitung.[1][6][7]

Distribution and habitat edit

The tapered sphinx orchid grows on trees and rocks in rainforest. It is found in Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Maluku Islands, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Queensland, Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Santa Cruz Islands and the Wallis and Futuna Islands. In Australia, it occurs on the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges.[1][2][5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Liparis condylobulbon". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ a b c Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 463. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. ^ a b "Liparis condylobulbon". Flora of China. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. ^ D.L.Jones; T.Hopley; S.M.Duffy (2010). "Factsheet - Cestichis condylobulbon". Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Liparis condylobulbon". Orchids of New Guinea. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Liparis condylobulbon". APNI. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  7. ^ Reichenbach, Heinrich Gustav (1862). "Liparis condylobulbon". Hamburger Garten- und Blumenzeitung. 18: 34. Retrieved 11 January 2019.