Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Hér.) Blume
Nun's Orchid
Facts About
Accepted Synonyms: Bletia tankervilleae, Limodorum spectabile
Phaius tankervilleae, commonly known as the Nun’s Orchid, is distributed throughout northeastern Australia, southeastern Asia, and the Pacific Islands. It is also naturalized in many places in the tropics, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Florida and Hawaii. This introduced orchid has 2-8 plicate leaves similar to palm leaves and blooms in March through May. The inflorescence has 10-35 spectacular flowers that are 4-5 cm in size with an exterior color of white and interior of brownish purple. The purple pink lip is suffused with maroon and has a yellow spur. This species is a popular orchid in cultivation and has naturalized in several habitats, including dense swamps, bayheads and hardwood hammocks.
The conservation status of Phaius tankervilleae has not been determined.
Pollination
Bees
Ecosystem Type
Bogs, forests, swamps, woodlands
Characteristics
- Habitat:
- terrestrial
- Leaf arrangement:
- basal
- Number of leaves on stem:
- six
- Form of the labellum:
- the labellum is pouch-like
- Labellum outline:
- the labellum is lobed
- Main color of labellum:
-
- blue to purple
- green to brown
- pink to red
- Nectar spur:
- present
- Inflorescence type:
- the inflorescence is a raceme
- Labellum characteristics:
-
- the labellum has a spur
- the labellum is lobed
- Labellum length:
- 50 mm
- Sepal length:
- 40–55 mm
Native to North America
No
North American Conservation Status & Distribution
Conservation Status
| Conservation and Wetland Status | |
|---|---|
| Global Rank | N/A |
| US Status | N/A |
| Canadian Status | N/A |