Thunia alba var. bracteata

Veined Thunia is an orchid, up to 1 m high, found growing on trees. Stem is stout, erect, basal sheaths tubular, ovate, pointed at tip, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Leaves are many, narrowly elliptic-lanceshaped to oblong- lanceshaped, tapering at tip, 10.5-25 x 2-3.5 cm, membranous, glaucous beneath. Flowers are borne in hanging, 4-8- flowered clusters. Flower-cluster-stalks is 2-5 cm long, sheathed; sheath 1, tubular, lanceshaped, pointed at tip, about 4 cm long; axis -3.8 cm long; floral bracts oblong or boat- shaped, pointed at tip, 4-5.5 x 1-1.2 cm. Flowers are 4-5 cm long; sepals and petals white; lip white; flower-stalk and ovary 1 - 1.5 cm long. Sepals narrowly oblong- ovate, pointed to blunt at tip, subequal, 4.5-6 x 1-1.2 cm. Petals are oblong, pointed at tip, 4.5-5.5 x 0.8-1 cm. Lip is broadly oblong-pandurate (when spread), spurred, 4.5 - 5 x 2.5 - 4.5 cm (at base), strongly purple-nerved, basal half convolute into a tube, apical half-hooded, toothed-wavy at margins; disk with 5 to 9 toothed- fringed ridges; spur about 1.5 x 0.3 cm. Column expanded and winged at tip, 1.3-1.4 cm long; foot short. Fruits are narrowly ellipsoid, 3-3.5 x about 1 cm. Habitat: Dry Deciduous Forests, at 800-1400 m in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal. Flowering: March-July.