Orchid Species: Malaxis nervosa

ORIGIN: Found in Benin, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Rwanda, Zaire, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China, Japan, Korea, Ryukyus, Taiwan, western Himalayas, Sri Lankha, India, Assam, Bangladesh, eastern Himalayas, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Java, Moluccas, the Philippines, Sumatra, New Guinea, Caroline Islands, Marianas, Florida, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leewards, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Winward Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay and Brazil as a wet region, small sized, cool to warm growing terrestrial or lithophyte of the forest understory, except at higher elevations in cloud forest where it can be found on exposed roadbanks, at elevations of 500 to 1800 meters.

DESCRIPTION: A wet region, small sized, cool to warm growing terrestrial or lithophyte of the forest understory, except at higher elevations in cloud forest where it can be found on exposed roadbanks, at elevations of 500 to 1800 meters with a cylindric, tapering, pseudobulb that is encased by 4 to 5 non-foliaceous, green, basal sheaths that fall away and bares the bulb before the new growth arises, with lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, acute, plicate leaves that clasp at the base that will bloom in the summer and fall on an erect, terminal, 10 to 15 [25 to 38 cm] long, racemose inflorescence that has many flowers, arising with a new pseudobulb growth. This orchid is probably the most widespread orchid in the world being pan-tropical.

FLOWER SIZE: 1/2 inch [1.3 cm] -- information provided by Jay Pfahl, author of the Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia (IOSPE).

Most awarded/recent cultivars: Lip. nervosa 'Jardin Botanique de Montreal' (1997) Lip. nervosa 'Mountain Frost' (1997) Lip. nervosa 'Evets' (1994)