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Christmas Orchid

Calanthe triplicata

Also called Thrice Folded Calanthe, White Crane Orchid

Christmas Orchid
Photo: All About Apple museum official web site, Attribution
Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Shade
Native range
Trop. & Subtrop. Asia to Pacific
Climate
wet tropical

About

Calanthe triplicata commonly known as the common Christmas orchid is a plant in the orchid family and is native to Oceania, Asia, Pacific islands, and the islands of eastern Africa. It is a terrestrial orchid that grows in clumps with crowded pseudobulbs, dark green corrugated leaves and up to forty white flowers. The sepals and petals are similar to each other and the labellum has three spreading lobes and a yellow callus.

Where it grows

Calanthe triplicata is found in Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Assam, eastern Himalayas, southern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, south China, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Bismark Islands, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Marquesas, Santa Cruz Islands, Caroline Islands, the Marianas Islands, Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands. In Australia it occurs between the Iron Range in Queensland and the Illawarra in New South Wales as well as on Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests, rainforests and other wet forests in dense shade.

Other Calanthe plants

Calanthe cardioglossa · Calanthe delavayi · Calanthe densiflora · Common Calanthe · Calanthe fargesii · Calanthe henryi · Calanthe hirsuta · Calanthe odora · Calanthe plantaginea · Calanthe pulchra · Calanthe rubens · Halla Striata Calanthe

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Calanthe triplicata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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