Liparis nervosa - Veined Liparis

Veined Liparis is a small sized, cool to hot growing orchig growing on ground or rocks in the forest understory, except at higher elevations where it can be found on exposed roadbanks, at elevations of 500 to 1800 meters. It has a cylindric, tapering, pseudobulb that is encased by 4 to 5 non-leafy, green, basal sheaths that fall away and bares the bulb before the new growth arises. The plant has lanceshaped to oblong-elliptic, pointed plicate leaves that are clasping at the base. The plant blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, terminal, 25-38 cm long, raceme-like inflorescence that has many flowers, arising with a new pseudobulb growth. Flowers are 10-40, greenish purple. Dorsal sepal is oblong-elliptic to linear-oblong, 5-8 x1.8-4 mm, margins strongly curled, tip broadly rounded to blunt, lateral sepals sickle-shaped, ovate-oblong to elliptic, 4-7 x 2-3.5 mm, tip blunt to somewhat pointed. Petals are sickle-shaped, linear-oblanceshaped to narrowly spoon-shaped, nearly tubular, 5-7.5 x 1-2 mm, margins strongly curled. Lip is strongly arcuate-recurved, obcordate to broadly cuneate or oblong-flabellate, base obsoletely eared, tip notched, sometimes mucronate. Callus has 2 fleshy tubercles on basal portion, maroon-purple, 4-5.5 x3.5-5.3 mm. Column is stout, 3.5-5 x 1-1.5 mm, winged apically. Anthers are bright green; pollinia yellow. This orchid is probably the most widespread orchid in the world being pan-tropical.