Heart-Leaf Tainia is a small to medium sized,
terrestrial orchid with a fleshy creeping rhizome giving rise to
elongate pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, ovate-heart-shaped,
pointed, 5 veined, green mottled with purple, stalked base leaf. The
plant blooms in the spring on a at branch-ends, erect, hairless, 9-11
cm long, laxly 3-6 flowered inflorescence with linear, falling off
floral bracts. Flowers are large, sepals and petals brown with purplish
brown stripes, lip lateral lobes white and spotted with purplish red,
mid-lobe yellow, with purple spots along margin, lamellae yellow,
column with purplish red spots. Flower-stalk and ovary 1.5-1.8 cm.
Sepals are similar, lanceshaped, about 22 x 4-5 mm, 3-veined, tapering;
lateral sepals adnate to column foot forming a broad mentum. Petals are
lanceshaped, about 20 x 6-7 mm, 5-veined. Lip nearly ovate, 2.5-3 cm,
slightly 3-lobed; lateral lobes nearly ovate; mid-lobe reflexed,
triangular, tip pointed. Heart-Leaf Tainia is found in East Himalaya,
Myanmar to China, at altitudes of 500-1500 m. Flowering: May-July.
Identification credit: Jambey Tsering
Photographed in Khuppi, West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh.
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The flower labeled Heart-Leaf Tainia is ...