Spathoglottis plicata - Philippine Ground Orchid

Philippine Ground Orchid is an evergreen terrestrial orchid which forms tall clumps. It has crowded pseudobulbs 4-6 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, each with 3-4 pleated leaves 5-9 cm long and 0.8-1.5 cm wide on a stalk 8-15 cm long. Up to forty deep pink to purple resupinate flowers 3.5-5.5 cm long and wide are borne on a hairy flowering stem 50-100 cm tall. The dorsal sepal is 2-3 cm long and the lateral sepals are slightly narrower. The petals are about the same length as the sepals but significantly wider. The lip is T-shaped, as large as the dorsal sepal and has three lobes with the side lobes close to vertical. At the tip of the column there is a cap, under which masses of yellow pollen grains can be seen. Philippine Ground orchid is found in eastern Himalayas to SE Asia, and also Western Ghats, at altitudes of 700-2000 m.