Platanthera stenantha - Slim-Flower Habenaria

Slim-Flower Habenaria is a medium sized terrestrial orchid with an erect, stout stem with basal pointed, tubular sheaths and carrying 3 to 4, distant, oblong-lanceshaped to oblong-inverted-lanceshaped, somewhat pointed, stalkless leaves that are basally stem-clasping. The plant blooms in the summer and earler fall on an erect, branch-end, hairless, 12-23 cm long, laxly 8 to many flowered spike. Bracts are linear-lanceshaped, pointed to tapering, single veined, basal ones longer than the flowers. Flowers are yellowish green; flower-stalk and ovary cylindric, 8-12 mm. Dorsal sepal is erect, forming a hood with petals, ovate, boat-shaped, 4-5 x 2-2.6 mm, 3-veined, tip blunt; lateral sepals reflexed, oblong, oblique, 5-6 x 1.5-1.7 mm, 3-veined, tip blunt. Petals are yellow, erect, linear, oblique, 4-5 x about 1 mm, slightly fleshy, 1-veined, tip blunt; lip yellow, narrowly ovate to strap-shaped-lanceshaped, 5-6 x 2-2.5 mm, entire, tip blunt; spur drooping, slightly incurved, cylindric, 1.2-1.8 cm, exceeding ovary, slender, slightly dilated toward tip. Slim-Flower Habenaria is found in Nepal to East Himalaya and China, at altitudes of 1500-3100 m. Flowering: August-September.