Rchb.f.
Description
Bulbophyllum griffithii is an epiphytic orchid distributed from the eastern Himalayas (Nepal, northeast India, Bhutan) through southwest China (Yunnan) to Taiwan. The species is named after William Griffith (1810–1845), the pioneering British botanist who collected extensively in Bhutan and northeast India. It occurs in cool, humid montane forests at elevations of 1,500–2,800 m, favouring mossy tree trunks in the cloud forest zone.
The pseudobulbs are ovoid to subglobose, 1.5–3 cm tall, widely spaced on a stout rhizome. Each bears a single, coriaceous, oblong-elliptic leaf 8–15 cm long. The inflorescence is an umbel-like, subglobose cluster of 5–12 flowers, carried on a slender peduncle 10–20 cm tall — a floral arrangement typical of section Cirrhopetalum. The flowers are about 2 cm across, pale yellow to greenish with purple-red stripes and spots. The dorsal sepal is erect, the lateral sepals elongated and twisted, and the lip is small, curved, and dark purple. Flowering occurs from August to October.
Within the complex taxonomy of Bulbophyllum section Cirrhopetalum, B. griffithii is recognised by its umbellate inflorescence with relatively few, medium-sized flowers and its distinctive striped pattern. GBIF records confirm a limited distribution centred on the eastern Himalayas and East Asia.
Author: Rchb.f. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Bhutan Vol. 3, GBIF, Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002)