Spathoglottis, commonly known as purple orchids or 苞舌兰属 (bao she lan shu) is a genus of about fifty species of orchids in the family Orchidaceae. They are evergreen terrestrial herbs with crowded pseudobulbs, a small number of leaves and medium-sized resupinate flowers on an upright flowering stem. The sepals and petals are all similar to each other and are white, yellow, pink or purple. Species of Spathoglottis are found from eastern and south-eastern Asia to Australia and some Pacific Islands.

Description

Orchids in the genus Spathoglottis are evergreen, terrestrial herbs with crowded pseudobulbs just below the surface of the soil and a few large, pleated leaves. The flowering stem emerges from a pseudoblulb and bears medium-sized, colourful flowers. The flowers open widely with the sepals and petals all similar in size to each other, although with the petals usually broader, the sepals are hairy on the outside. The labellum has three lobes, the side lobes more or less upright and the middle lobe with a claw near its base.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Spathoglottis was first formally described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume who published the description in Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië, and the first species he described (the type species) was S. plicata. The genus name Spathoglottis is derived from the Greek spathe, spathe, and glotta, tongue, a probable reference to the broad labellum midlobe".

Species list

Species accepted by the Plants of the World Online as of May 2023 are:

Distribution and habitat

Spathoglottis orchids usually grow in moist places in forest, grassland and swamps, usually in bright sunshine. They are found in India, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Borneo and Cape York Peninsula in Australia. One species is endemic to Australia and three to China.

Use in horticulture

They are easy to cultivate and sought after for their large colourful flowers, and are common in tropical gardens. They need sun for part of the day, well-drained loamy soil and regular water.