Orchids of New Guinea

Phaius tankervilleae

Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Hér.) Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2 (1856) 177

Synonyms:

Limodorum tankervilleae Banks ex L'Hér., Sert. Angl. (1789) 28 ('tancarvilleae')
- Type: Kew cult. s.n. (China), herb. J.E. Smith 1403.1 (lecto LINN, chosen by Clements 1989)
Bletia tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Hér.) R.Br., Bot. Mag. 44 (1817) t. 1924
Limodorum incarvillei Pers., Syn. Pl. 2 (1807) 520
- Type: Not designated.
Phaius blumei Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. (1831) 127 (as nom. nov.)
Phaius incarvillei (Pers.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. (1891) 675 ('Phajus')
Limodorum incarvillei Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 374 (non Pers.)
- Type: Blume s.n. (ex cult.) (holo L)
Pachyne spectabilis Salisb., Trans. Hort. Soc. London, Bot. 1 (1812) 299 (nom. illeg.)
Phaius grandifolius Lindl. in Wall., Numer. List (1829) n. 3747 (nomen, non Lour.)
Tankervillia cantonensis Link, Handb. 1 (1829) 251
Phaius wallichii Lindl. in Wall., Pl. Asiat. Rar. 2 (1830) 46, pl. 158
- Type: Calcutta cult. (Smith) s.n. (Sillet) (holo K)
Phaius bicolor Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. (1831) 128
- Type: Macrae s.n. (Ceylon)
Phaius grandifolius Lour. var. superbus Van Houtte, Fl. Serres Jard. Eur., ser. 1, 7 (1851) 259, t. 38
- Type: not designated? lost?
Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Hér.) Blume var. superbus (Van Houtte) S.Y.Hu, Quart. J. Taiwan Mus. 27, 3-4 (1974) 464
Phaius carronii F.Muell., Essay Pl. Burdekin Exped. (1860) 19
- Type: Burdekin Exp. (Fitzalan?) s.n. (Australia) (holo MEL, sterile)
Calanthe speciosa Vieill., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 4, 16 (1861) 44 (non (Blume) Lindl.)
- Type: not designated
Phaius leucophaeus F.Muell., Fragm. 4 (1864) 163
- Type: Dallachy s.n. (Australia, Rockingham Bay)
Phaius bernaysii F.Muell. ex Bernays, Gard. Chron. (1873) 361, 1244
- Type: Veitch cult. (Bernays) s.n. (Australia, Moreton Bay, Stradbroke Islands) (holo W; iso MEL)
Phaius blumei Lindl. var. bernaysii (Rowland ex Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. ex Hook.f., Bot. Mag. 99 (1873) t. 6032
Phaius grandifolius Lour. var. bernaysii (Rowland ex Rchb.f.) F.M.Bailey, Syn. Queensland Fl. (1883) 515
Phaius australis F.Muell. var. bernaysii (Rowland ex Rchb.f.) Nicholls, Victorian Naturalist 67 (1950) 13
Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Hé.) Blume var. papuanus J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 12, 3 (1915) 203
- Type: Bogor cult. (Gjellerup) 466 (holo BO; iso L)
Calanthe bachmaensis Gagnep., Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. (Paris), sér. 2, 22 (1950) 509
- Type: Poilane 29735 (Vietnam, Annam) (holo P)
Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Hér.) Blume f. veronicae S.Y.Hu & Barretto, Chung Chi J. 13, 2 (1976) 25

Basionym: Limodorum tankervilleae

Large terrestrial herb. Pseudobulbs crowded, ovoid, to c. 4 by 3 cm, 3- to 5-leaved. Leaf petiolate, plicate, elliptic, 22-56 by 3.5-6.5 cm, acuminate; petiole including the sheath 11-27 cm long. Inflorescence overtopping the leaves, laxly 4- to 12-flowered; peduncle 52-68 cm long, in the basal part 0.7-1 cm diam.; rachis c. 12.5 cm long. Floral bracts to 4 cm long. Flowers large. Sepals lanceolate, 4.3-5 by 1.1-1.45 cm, acuminate, apiculate. Petals somewhat shorter than the sepals, otherwise similar. Lip spurred, 3-lobed in the apical part, clasping the column, about as long as the petals, inside shortly pubescent, with two longitudinal keels separated by a groove, the keels merging towards the apex; lateral lobes broadly rounded; mid-lobe semi-orbicular, about 1/4 the length of the lip; spur relatively short, c. 1 cm long, at the apex incurved. Column c. 2 cm long, slightly curved, dilated towards the apex, apical margin crenate. Anther broadly cordate, densley pubescent. Pollinia trianguoar-pyriform, somewhat flattened. (After Smith, 1905 & 1915)

Colours:

Sepals and petals inside light brown, rarely yellow, outside greyish white. Lip greyish white, inside light brown, rarely yellow or whitish, more purple brown at the base of the mid-lobe and on the tips of the lateral lobes, usually with a large purple-brown blotch outside near the tips of the lateral lobes.

Habitat:

Terrestrial in lowland and lower montane grassland, often swampy; 33 to 2867 m.

Distribution:

Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, ?Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, New Guinea, Philippines), NW Himalaya, Sri Lanka to China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Pacific.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map

Cultivation:

Intermediate growing terrestrial, requires light position.

Flowering time in the wild:

Flowering observed in every month of the year.

References:

Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java (1905) 194, as Phaius incarvillei (Pers.) Kuntze
Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java, Fig.-Atl. (1909) fig. 145, as Phaius incarvillei (Pers.) Kuntze
Dockrill, A. W., Austral. Indig. Orchids 1 (1969) 250, fig.
O'Byrne, P., Lowland Orchid. Papua New Guinea (1994) 56, fig.

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Collabieae
Subtribe Not used
Genus Phaius
Section Phaius
Species Phaius tankervilleae