Phalaenopsis tetraspis

Phalaenopsis tetraspis
Flower of Phalaenopsis tetraspis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Phalaenopsis
Species:
P. tetraspis
Binomial name
Phalaenopsis tetraspis
Synonyms
  • Phalaenopsis barrii King ex Hook.f.
  • Phalaenopsis speciosa Rchb.f.
  • Phalaenopsis speciosa var. christiana Rchb.f.
  • Phalaenopsis speciosa var. imperatrix Rchb.f.
  • Phalaenopsis tetraspis f. alba O.Gruss & Koop.
  • Phalaenopsis tetraspis f. brunneola O.Gruss & Koop.
  • Phalaenopsis tetraspis f. christiana (E.S.Berk.) O.Gruss & W.E.Higgins
  • Phalaenopsis tetraspis f. imperatrix (E.S.Berk.) O.Gruss & W.E.Higgins
  • Phalaenopsis tetraspis f. livida O.Gruss & S.Tönne
  • Phalaenopsis tetraspis f. speciosa (Rchb.f.) O.Gruss & W.E.Higgins
  • Polychilos speciosa (Rchb.f.) Shim

Phalaenopsis tetraspis is a species of epiphytic orchid endemic to the Andaman Islands, the Nicobar Islands and northwestern Sumatra. It was originally erroneously published as a Himalayan species by Reichenbach, which was corrected by James Veitch 23 years after Heinrich Gustav Reichenbachs publication. Mature specimens may have up to nine leaves, but usually plants have 4–5, elliptic-obovate, acute to obtuse, 20 cm long and 8 cm wide leaves. Showy, fleshy, fragrant flowers are produced on axillary, arching to subpendent racemes or panicles. A prominent feature of this species is the midlobe of the labellum, which is oblong, obtuse-subacute, and the apex is covered in dense trichomes. The karyotype is asymmetric and nonuniform.