Arundina

Arundina graminifolia is a species of orchid and the sole accepted species of the genus Arundina. This tropical Asiatic genus extends from Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, the Ryukyu Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, China to Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea. It has become naturalized in Réunion, Fiji, French Polynesia, Micronesia, the West Indies, Costa Rica, Panama and Hawaii.[2][5] It is also called bamboo orchid.[6]

Arundina
Arundina graminifolia in Kerala
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Arethuseae
Subtribe: Arethusinae
Genus: Arundina
Rich.[1]
Species:
A. graminifolia
Binomial name
Arundina graminifolia
(D.Don) Hochr.
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Bletia graminifolia D.Don
  • Arundina bambusifolia Lindl.
  • Cymbidium bambusifolium Roxb.
  • Arundina chinensis Blume
  • Arundina speciosa Blume (type species)[4]
  • Arundina densa Lindl.
  • Cymbidium meyenii Schauer
  • Arundina meyenii (Schauer) Rchb.f.
  • Arundina philippii Rchb.f.
  • Arundina pulchella Teijsm. & Binn.
  • Cymbidium speciosum Reinw. ex Lindl.
  • Arundina pulchra Miq.
  • Arundina densiflora Hook.f.
  • Limodorum graminifolium Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.f.
  • Arundina sanderiana Kraenzl.
  • Arundina speciosa var. sarasinorum Schltr.
  • Arundina maculata J.J.Sm.
  • Arundina chinensis var. major S.Y.Hu
  • Arundina graminifolia var. chinensis (Blume) S.S.Ying

Description

Arundina graminifolia is a terrestrial, perennial orchid with reedy stems, forming into large clumps growing to a height between 70 cm and 2 m.

The plaited linear leaves are oblong lanceolate, with a length of 9 to 19 cm and a width of 0.8 to 1.5 cm. The apex is acuminate. There are amplexicaul (clasping the stem) sheathing stipules.

Arundina graminifolia, Fraser's Hill, Malaysia

This orchid blooms in summer and autumn, showing rather open clusters of showy terminal flowers, ten at the most. They bloom in succession on the terminal racemes, which are 7 to 16 cm long. These flowers, 5 – 8 cm in diameter, are a rosy lilac and white disk with a purple lip. The bracts are wide triangular and surround the main stalk of the flower cluster. The occasional fertilized seed pods contain minute powdery seeds, and small plants often develop near the cane ends after flowering, and likely aid in propagation if allowed to reach the soil.

With only 200 of the plant to be recorded growing naturally in Singapore, the species is close to extinction there, largely caused by the destruction of its natural habitat, namely the rainforests and mangrove forests. The remaining plants, commonly called Tapah weeds, can be found in the secondary forests or at the forest fringes. It is however very common in road cuts and other disturbed areas in full sun in Sarawak, East Malaysia, where it often is the most common flowering plant to be seen along the roadsides.

Varieties

Two varieties are currently recognized (May 2014):[2]

  • Arundina graminifolia var. graminifolia
  • Arundina graminifolia var. revoluta (Hook.f.) A.L.Lamb in C.L.Chan. & al. - from Assam and Sri Lanka east to Vietnam and south to Java

References
  1. Blume, Carl (Karl) Ludwig von. 1825. Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië 8: 401
  2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Arundina graminifolia
  3. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Arundina graminifolia subsp. graminifolia
  4. lectotype designated by Garay et Sweet, Orchids S. Ryukyu Islands 52. 1974
  5. US Department of Agriculture Plants profile
  6. See e.g. Das, S & Duttachoudhury, Manabendra & Mazumder, Pranab. (2013). In vitro propagation of Arundina graminifolia D. Don. Hochr - A bamboo orchid. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 6. 156-158.
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