(D.Don) Dandy
Description
Herminium macrophyllum is a terrestrial orchid of the Himalaya and southwestern China, recorded from Nepal, China, India and Bhutan, with 160 occurrences in GBIF. It grows on alpine and subalpine meadows, grassy slopes and open turf, generally between 3000 and 4300 m. The plant photographed at Shele-La in Bhutan at about 4000 m in September is characteristic of the cool, moist high-altitude grassland where the species flowers in the late monsoon, its slender spikes rising among low alpine herbs and sedges on damp peaty soil.
The species is a small deciduous terrestrial herb arising from a pair of ovoid to globose underground tubers. The stem bears a few leaves, with one or two comparatively large, broadly elliptic to ovate basal leaves (the macrophyllum referring to this enlarged foliage) sheathing the base. The inflorescence is a slender, many-flowered cylindrical raceme of small greenish to yellowish-green flowers; each has a hooded dorsal sepal and petals forming a loose galea, spreading lateral sepals, and a labellum that is typically three-lobed with a short saccate or scarcely spurred base, the column short as is usual in the genus. The fruit is a small erect dehiscent capsule releasing copious minute seeds.
Herminium (subtribe Orchidinae, tribe Orchideae of the Orchidoideae) is a genus of small Eurasian terrestrial orchids centred on the Sino-Himalayan region, distinguished by their tuberous habit and inconspicuous green flowers; H. macrophyllum is set apart by its enlarged leaves. Like other terrestrial orchids it requires mycorrhizal fungi for seed germination and is pollinated by small insects attracted to the modest flowers. The species is locally frequent in intact alpine meadow but, as with all orchids, is listed under CITES Appendix II and is sensitive to grazing and habitat disturbance.
Author: (D.Don) Dandy · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Orchids of Bhutan, Genera Orchidacearum (Pridgeon et al.)