Cymbidium erythraeum var. flavum (Z.J.Liu & J.Yong Zhang) Z.J.Liu, S.C.Chen & P.J.Cribb, in Fl. China 25: 268 (2009).

This name is accepted.



The exhibitor says this Cym erythraeum is called var. flavum in China, but he believes its var. album becasue it has no red pigmentation. We awarded it as var. album

Kathy Barrett

CSNJC, award 20123617



from Flora of China



14. Cymbidium erythraeum Lindley, J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot.

3: 30. 1858.

??? chang ye lan

Plants epiphytic or lithophytic, autotrophic. Pseudobulbs

ovoid, bilaterally flattened, 2–6 × 1.5–3 cm, enclosed in leaf

bases. Leaves distichous, 5–12, deep green tinged purple at

base, lorate, 35–90 × 0.7–1.5 cm, articulate 2.5–6.5 cm from

base. Inflorescence arising from within sheaths at base of

pseudobulb, suberect or arching, 40–75 cm, slender; rachis 23–

29 cm, 3–8-flowered; floral bracts subtriangular, 2–4 mm.

Flowers fragrant, 6.5–8 cm in diam.; pedicel and ovary 25–43

mm; sepals and petals green with heavy reddish brown longitudinal

stripes and irregular spots of same color, or uniformly

greenish yellow; lip pale yellow or white with red-brown venation

on lateral lobes and a few red-brown spots and a central

longitudinal dash on mid-lobe, or white with yellow venation

on lateral lobes and scattered yellow spots on mid-lobe. Sepals

narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to narrowly obovate-oblong, 34–

52 × 7–14 mm, apex acute to obtuse. Petals falcate, ligulate,

33–53 × 4–7 mm, apex acute; lip elliptic-ovate, 24–43 mm,

base fused to basal margins of column for 2–3 mm, 3-lobed;

lateral lobes erect, subovate, sometimes shortly ciliate; midlobe

slightly recurved, cordate to ensiform, 8–9 × 10–11 mm,

sometimes sparsely shortly hairy; disk densely hairy at apices

of lateral lobes, papillate near base and on mid-lobe, with 2

puberulent lamellae extending to base of mid-lobe; lamellae

slightly swollen toward apices. Column 23–32 mm, narrowly

winged, sparsely hairy toward base; pollinia 2, subtriangular.

Capsule fusiform-ellipsoid, 40–50 × 20–30 mm. Fl. Oct–Jan, fr.

Mar–May. 2n = 40, 42.

Trees and rocks at forest margins and in forests; 1400–2800 m. C

and SW Guizhou, SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW, SE, and W Yunnan

[Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam].

1a. Sepals and petals green, heavily

flushed red-brown; lip pale yellow

or white with red-brown venation

on lateral lobes and red-brown spots

on mid-lobe ........................................ 14a. var. erythraeum

EPIDENDROIDEAE

268

1b. Sepals and petals uniformly greenish

yellow; lip white with yellow

venation on lateral lobes and

yellow spots on mid-lobe .......................... 14b. var. flavum

14a. Cymbidium erythraeum var. erythraeum

???(???) chang ye lan (yuan bian zhong)

Cyperorchis longifolia (D. Don) Schlechter.

Sepals and petals green, heavily flushed red-brown; lip

pale yellow or white with red-brown venation on lateral lobes

and red-brown spots on mid-lobe, 30–43 cm.

Trees and rocks at forest margins and in forests; 1400–2800 m. C

and SW Guizhou, SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW and SE Yunnan [Bhutan,

India, Myanmar, Nepal].

14b. Cymbidium erythraeum var. flavum (Z. J. Liu & J.

Yong Zhang) Z. J. Liu, S. C. Chen & P. J. Cribb, comb. et stat.

nov.

????? huang hua chang ye lan

Basionym: Cymbidium flavum Z. J. Liu & J. Yong

Zhang, Orchidee (Hamburg) 53: 94. 2002.

Sepals and petals uniformly greenish yellow; lip white

with yellow venation on lateral lobes and yellow spots on midlobe,

24–27 mm.

? Trees in evergreen broad-leaved Fagaceae forests; 2400–2800

m. SE and W Yunnan (Gaoligong Shan, Wenshan).