Aerides odorata

Aerides odorata Lour.

Aerides odorata Lour. Photo by Son Le Hong

1790, Fl. Cochinchin.: 525: Guillaumin, 1933, in Lecomte, Fl. Gen. Indochine 6: 569: Seidenf., 1992, Opera Bot. 114: 426: P. H. Ho, 1993, 111. Fl. Vietnam 3, 2: 1147, f. 10372; Aver., 1994, Ident. Guide Vietnam. Orch.: 343; Thin, 1997, Sida 17, 4: 756; Aver. & Averyanova, 2003, Updated Checkl. Orch. Vietnam: 10; Soejarto et al., 2004, Seed plants CPNP: 445.

Synonyms.

Aerides micholitzii Rolfe,1904, OrchidRev.12:1S1; Guillaumin,1933,inH.Lecomte,Fl.Indo-Chine6:466. Aerides odorata subvar. immaculata Guillaumin, 1933, in H. Lecomte, Fl. Indo-Chine 6: 466.

Studied collections. 

2 May 1985, Averyanov et al., LX-VN 1837/78; 14 Sept. 1999, X.T.Hiep et al., NTH 3001.

Description. 

Large epiphyte with stout branching stem, becoming pendulous with age. Leaves 25 by 2.5 cm, rigid, bilobed at apex. Inflorescence many-flowered, arching or pendent, to 35 cm long. Flowers sweetly fragrant, 2 cm across, yellowish-white, with violet-purple blotches. Sepals and petals sub-similar 1.2 by 0.8 cm. Lip with large spur turned up in front; side-lobes and mid lobe erect, incurved, arched over column. Fruit ellipsoid winged capsule, 2.5 by 1 cm. 

Flowering time. 

June-August.

Geographic range. 

Bhutan, Nepal, India, Myanmar, S. China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malacca Peninsula, Philippines, Indonesia

Notes. 

One of the most common, widespread species in Vietnam. Widely collected as ornamental plant for cultivation. Plants with pure yellowish-white flowers occasionally found in Vietnam were described as A. odorata subvar. imrnaculata Guillaumin.

References:

Leonid V. Averyanov, Nguyen Tien Hiep, Phan Ke Loc, The orchids Of Cuc Phuong National Park Illustrated guide, ISBN: 9781626751514