Rhynchostylis retusa

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Rhynchostylis retusa
Rhynchostylis retusa, West Java.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Subtribe: Aeridinae
Genus: Rhynchostylis
Species:
R. retusa
Binomial name
Rhynchostylis retusa
Synonyms [1]
List
  • Epidendrum retusum L. (basionym)
  • Aerides guttata(Lindl.) Roxb.
  • Aerides praemorsa Willd.
  • Aerides retusa(L.) Sw.
  • Aerides spicata D.Don
  • Aerides undulata Sm.
  • Anota violacea(Rchb.f.) Schltr.
  • Epidendrum hippium Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
  • Epidendrum indicum Poir.
  • Gastrochilus blumei(Lindl.) Kuntze
  • Gastrochilus garwalicus(Lindl.) Kuntze
  • Gastrochilus praemorsus(Willd.) Kuntze
  • Gastrochilus retusus(L.) Kuntze
  • Gastrochilus rheedei(Wight) Kuntze
  • Gastrochilus spicatus(D.Don) Kuntze
  • Gastrochilus violaceus(Rchb.f.) Kuntze
  • Limodorum retusum(L.) Sw.
  • Orchis lanigera Blanco
  • Rhynchostylis albifloraI.Barua & Bora
  • Rhynchostylis garwalica(Lindl.) Rchb.f.
  • Rhynchostylis guttata(Lindl.) Rchb.f.
  • Rhynchostylis praemorsa(Willd.) Blume
  • Rhynchostylis retusaf.albiflora(I.Barua & Bora) Christenson
  • Rhynchostylis violaceaRchb.f.
  • Saccolabium blumeiLindl.
  • Saccolabium garwalicumLindl.
  • Saccolabium guttatum(Lindl.) Lindl. ex Wall.
  • Saccolabium heathiiauct.
  • Saccolabium macrostachyumLindl.
  • Saccolabium praemorsum(Willd.) Lindl.
  • Saccolabium retusum(L.) Voigt
  • Saccolabium rheedeiWight
  • Saccolabium spicatum(D.Don) Lindl.
  • Saccolabium violaceumRchb.f.
  • Sarcanthus guttatusLindl.

Rhynchostylis retusa (also called foxtail orchid) is an orchid belonging to the Vanda alliance.[ needs update ] The inflorescence is a pendant raceme, consisting of more than 100 pink-spotted white flowers. The plant has a short, stout, creeping stem carrying up to 12, curved, fleshy, deeply channeled, keeled, retuse apically leaves and blooms on an axillary pendant to 60 cm (24 in) long, racemose, densely flowered, cylindrical inflorescence that occurs in the winter and early spring.

Contents

Distribution

Close-up of the individual flowers forming the inflorescence of Rhynchostylis retusa Rhynchostylis retusa infloresence closeup.jpg
Close-up of the individual flowers forming the inflorescence of Rhynchostylis retusa

The plant is an epiphyte growing on tree trunks in open forests or at forest margins at elevations of 300–1,500 m (980–4,920 ft). It can be found in Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Guizhou, Yunnan), India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. [2]

In India, the plant is most common in the Northeast, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh, the plant is called by Telugu name Chintaranamu. Due to bio-piracy,[ citation needed ] the plant is on the verge of extinction in India. Rhynchostylis retusa is recognized as the state flower of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India, [3] [4] : 245  as well as the provincial flower of Uva Province in Sri Lanka. [5] : 20 

Rhynchostylis retusa, an orchid species of frequent occurrence in Assam Rhynchostylis gigantea of Assam 2.jpg
Rhynchostylis retusa, an orchid species of frequent occurrence in Assam

Care

The plant requires regular watering and applications of fertilizer throughout the year, although it will die if the leaves are wet frequently.[ citation needed ] It prefers indirect light. Flowering usually occurs in late spring. [6]

Medicinal uses

In Malabar District various preparations of the plant were used against asthma and tuberculosis and for 'nervous twitchings' (referable possibly to tic disorder), cramp, epileptic spasms, vertigo, palpitations, kidney stone and menstrual disorder. The plant has also been used in Assam to treat wounds, cuts and bruises. The plant has been used as an emollient in India and Nepal. Under the name of rasna the root is used to treat rheumatism throughout the Indian subcontinent. [7] : 101 

Significance in Assamese culture

The species is the state flower of Assam, where it is popularly known as kopou phool (Assamese : কপৌ ফুল), and is an integral part of a Bihu dancer's attire. [8] The plant is considered to be a symbol of love, fertility and merriment, and is popular in Assamese wedding ceremonies. [4] : 245 

References

  1. 1 2 "Rhynchostylis retusa (L.) Blume". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  2. ↑ Chen, Xingi; Wood, Jeffrey J. "Rhynchostylis retusa". Flora of China. Retrieved 28 April 2018– via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  3. ↑ "Official tag on Bihu-linked orchid - Assam government includes kopou phul, rhino in list of state symbols". The Telegraph . 4 April 2003. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025.
  4. 1 2 Dikshit, K. R.; Dikshit, Jutta K. (2014). "Natural Vegetation: Forests and Grasslands of North-East India". North-East India: Land, People and Economy. Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research (eBook ed.). Springer. pp. 213–255. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7055-3_9. eISSN   1879-7199. ISBN   978-94-007-7055-3.
  5. ↑ Madduma Bandara, C. M. (December 2009). "Exploring the link between culture and biodiversity in Sri Lanka". SANSAI: An Environmental Journal for the Global Community. 4: 1–23. hdl: 2433/110021 . ISSN   1349-872X. S2CID   128071809 .
  6. ↑ Pfahl, Jay (20 January 1998). "Rhynchostylis". Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia. ISSN   2167-6224. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Lawler, Leonard J. (1984). "Ethnobotany of the Orchidaceae". In Arditti, Joseph (ed.). Orchid Biology: Reviews and Perspectives. Vol. III. Comstock Publishing Associates. ISBN   978-0-8014-1512-8.
  8. ↑ Rahman, Azera Parveen (3 July 2023). "Orchids are blooming earlier than usual in the northeast — and it's not good news". Mongabay. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024.
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