Cymbidium devonianum Paxton

Cymbidium devonianum Paxton, Paxton's Mag. Bot. 10(113): 97 (1843).

(Cymbidium devonianum Paxton; Photos Nghiem Xuan Son)

Vietnamese name: 

Lan kiếm gấm ngũ hổ

Chinese Name: 

福兰 fu lan

Common Name: 

Devon's Cymbidium [English Duke 1800's]

Latin Name: 

Cymbidium devonianum Paxton

Family: 

Orchidaceae

Synonym Name: 

Cymbidium rigidum Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen; Cymbidium sikkimense Hook.f.

Description:

Plants terrestrial or lithophytic, autotrophic. Pseudobulbs subcylindric, 1.5-2.5 × ca. 1 cm, enclosed in leaf bases. Leaves 2-4, suberect, oblong-oblanceolate, 22-27 × 3.5-4.7 cm, leathery, with a prominent midvein, tapering into a petiole-like stalk at base, apex acute or obtuse; petiole-like stalk slender, 15-23 × 0.4-0.5 cm, channeled, articulate near middle. Inflorescence arising from base of pseudobulb, suberect or slightly arching, 36-50 cm, with several sheaths toward base; rachis 20-30 cm, 20-40-flowered; floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, 4-5 mm. Flowers purplish brown, ca. 3.5 cm in diam.; pedicel and ovary 15-20 mm. Sepals narrowly elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 20-22 × 6-7 mm, apex acuminate. Petals narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 16-19 × 5.5-6 mm, apex acuminate; lip slightly recurved, subrhombic or obovate-rhombic, 13-15 × ca. 10 mm, not fused to basal margins of column, unlobed or sometimes obscurely 3-lobed, apical margins slightly crisped; disk with 2 fleshy calli centrally. Column slightly arcuate, 10-12 mm.

Flowering: 

Mar-Apr

Distribution: 

Found in India, Nepal, NE Thailand, North Vietnam. In Vietnam: Đà Lạt (Lâm Đồng).

Ecological:

- Found at altitudes of 1000 to 2000 meters in exposed locations on trees or mossy rocks in highland montane cloud forests.

- This species, unlike most other Cymbidiums, needs a semi-rest from water and fertilizer in the winter to insure proper blooming.

Reference:

- theplantlist.org

- efloras.org

- orchidspecies.com

- ipni.org