Lindl.
Description
Calanthe brevicornu is a terrestrial orchid distributed across the Himalayas and East Asia, from Nepal and northeast India through Bhutan and Myanmar to China and Japan. GBIF records over 320 occurrences, with the majority from China. The species inhabits montane and subalpine forests, growing in deep leaf litter and humus-rich soil in the understory of Rhododendron, Quercus, and mixed broadleaved-coniferous forests at 1,300–3,600 m elevation.
This is an evergreen Calanthe of compact habit. The pseudobulbs are reduced, largely concealed by leaf sheaths. Leaves are 2–4, elliptic-lanceolate, 15–30 cm long, plicate, persisting through the winter. The inflorescence is an erect raceme 15–35 cm tall, bearing 5–15 flowers that open sequentially. The specific epithet 'brevicornu' (short horn) refers to the characteristically short, stout spur, only 3–6 mm long — distinguishing it from many congeners with elongate spurs. Flowers are 2–3 cm across, white to pale pink, the lip trilobed with a yellowish callus. Flowering occurs from April to June.
The record from Helambu at 3,550 m represents the upper elevational limit for this species. At such altitudes, flowering coincides with the pre-monsoon spring, when Calanthe brevicornu blooms alongside Rhododendron species in the subalpine zone of central Nepal.
Author: Lindl. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Nepal Checklist, GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 25, Pearce & Cribb: The Orchids of Bhutan (2002)