Pteroceras teres - Himalayan Winged-Horn Orchid

Himalayan Winged-Horn Orchid is an epiphytic orchis with stem short, erect, about 2-12 cm long. The name winged-horn comes from the two narrow, wing-like appendages at the base of the lip (horn). Leaves are 3-12, arranged in two ranks, 3-10 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide, green, often tinged purple, oblong, tip rounded, somewhat asymmetric and weakly bilobed. Flowers are borne in pendulous clusters, much longer than the leaves, not branching, fairly laxly several-flowered, with few flowers opening simultaneously. Flowers are about 8 mm across, not opening widely, sepals and petals light yellow, with pinkish purple spots, lip whitish with pale purple dots and dark purple tip, the mid-lobe often whitish, the lateral lobes brownish or reddish, column purplish yellow. Sepals are about 0.8-1.2 cm long, median sepal elliptic with rounded tip; lateral sepals obliquely ovate. Petals are obovate, as long as the sepals but often slightly broader, tip rounded. Lip is 3-lobed, spurred, about 1 cm long. Lateral lobes are obovate, rounded; mid-lobe reduced to an oblong-rectangular callus at the base of the spur; spur pointing forwards, horn-like, slightly decurved, obtuse. Column is rather slender, with a well-developed column-foot. Himalayan Winged-Horn Orchid is found in the Himalayas, from Uttaranchal to Assam. Flowering: July-December.