General Information

COMMON NAMES: Fernland Orchid, Malaya Orchid, Philippine Orchid, Solomon Islands Orchid GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE India - Indonesia/Australia - Solomons - Vanuatu. RECENTLY indig?adv? Tonga/Samoa - Cook Islands - Tahiti; EXOTIC EXOTIC Hawai‘i, Americas, Africa. COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, or Introduced - Recent?, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (++++) esp.fernlands SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers KEY FEATURES: Ground orchid with pleated leaves to 100cm. FLOWER STALK to 100cm, with 5-40, purple flowers. FLOWERS petals to 30x20mm. Separated from similar species by having lip midlobe long and slender (13mmL, with stalk 1.5mmW, and tip 6mmW); tip edge smooth; lip basal lump 2-lobed, slightly hairy. Cv. 'Alba' flowers white. SIMILAR SPECIES: Spathoglottis unguiculata lip-sidelobes flatten to 30° to midlobe (vs 90°); sidelobes = midlobe length (vs. much shorter); basal lump (callus) shaggy-haired (vs slightly hairy). Spathoglottis pacifica (not yet in Cook Islands) midlobe basal-lump is hairy (vs. slightly hairy).

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	P	+	-	-	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Spathoglottis plicata Blume
SYNONYMS: Spathoglottis daenikeri; Spathoglottis vieillardii; Spathoglottis pacifica [sensu]; Bletia angustifolia

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); LILIIDAE; Orchidales; ORCHIDACEAE

IDENTIFICATION: A ground orchid with pleated lance-like leaves to 100cm and a flower-stalk to 100cm. Flowers, 5-40, variable purple; petals ovate, to 30x20mm; lip 3-lobed, T-shaped when flattened (lateral lobes at 90° to midlobe); sidelobes to 8x3mm; midlobe to 13mm long, stalk 1.5mm wide (w/wo a wart), tip 6mm wide with smooth edge, and basal lump (callus) 2-lobed and slightly hairy. Fruit-capsules, cylindric, 40x10mm, 6-ribbed. Cv. 'Alba' flowers white.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
Special Reference: Detailed in Lewis & Cribb (1989) Orchids of Vanuatu, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew; and in Smith (1991) Flora Vitiensis Nova, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai.

p.1476 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.281 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.5/480 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.93 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02, zupD04a

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