Habenaria acuifera - Yellow Eastern Habenaria

Yellow Eastern Habenaria is a miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial orchid, with small ellipsoid tubers. The plant gives rise to an erect, hairless stem usually carrying 2 to 3, down low, well spaced, lanceshaped to linear-lanceshaped, long-pointed leaves, which are stem-clasping at the base. The stem carries above, many lanceshaped, sterile bracts. The plant blooms in the later summer on an erect, terminal, 6-10-flowered raceme. Flowers are yellow, small. Dorsal sepal forms a hood with petals, erect, broadly ovate, concave, 3-4.5 × 3-3.5 mm, 3-veined, tip blunt. Lateral sepals are reflexed, obliquely ovate-elliptic, 5-6 × 3.5-4 mm, 3-veined, tip blunt. Petals are obliquely oblong, 3-4 × 1.8-2 mm, unlobed. Lip about 1 cm, spurred at base, with a cup-like structure near mouth of spur, spreading, 3-lobed from base. Lateral lobes are 1.5-3.5 mm; mid-lobe straight, linear, 7-8 × 1 mm, tip blunt. Spur is pendulous, cylindric-club-shaped, 1-1.7 cm. Stigmas are somewhat erect, protruding along both sides of spur mouth, oblong, 2-2.5 mm. Yellow Eastern Habenaria is found in Assam, eastern Himalayas, MSE Asia and parts of China, in forests or on grassy slopes at elevations of 200-2000 m. Flowering: June-August.