Earina aestivalis

Detailed description

Epiphytic or rupestral, rhizomatous, perennial, producing numerous leafy, unbranched, long persistent, wiry, cane-like stems up to 600 mm long. Rhizomes extensive, much intertwined and firmly attached to substrate, fleshy, more or less spongy, initially creamy white maturing buff-yellow. Leaf-sheaths imbricating, persistent, distichously arranged, 5–12 mm long, 4–8 mm diameter, not split, tubular, flattened, each overlapping with and covering the lower ⅓–½ of the leaf-sheath above, exposed surface ivory to pale whitish-yellow, distinctly dark maculate with broad, long oblong to oblong-ovoid dark purple-black spots. Leaf-sheath junction with leaf lamina distinctly flared. Leaves weakly flexuose scarcely curved in upper portion; lamina short-lived, disarticulating at leaf-sheath junction, prominent 3-nerved, 60–100 × 6–8 mm, green to dark green, lanceolate, tapering in upper ⅓ gradually to an acute, minutely acicular tip; lateral veins conspicuous, midrib of upper lamina deeply and prominently channelled. Inflorescence a racemose panicle up to 80 mm long, mostly pendulous; racemes 2–8, usually well spaced on fine, slender, wiry axis, each 20–40 mm long; floral bracts c. 4.0–4.5 mm long, scarcely overlapping, prominently longitudinally ridged, completely covering the very short pedicels. Perianth 10–14 mm diameter, opening widely (flaring), pale, slightly greenish-cream to greenish yellow. Sepals elliptic, subacute. Petals slightly broader and more obtuse. Labellum broader and very conspicuous, yellow-orange to deep apricot, flaring widely at flowering, broadly oblong with broader proximal portion connect by a narrow waist-like neck to the almost equally broad distal lobe; base with two inconspicuous ridges leading down to a small pit-like nectary. Column shorter than labellum, narrow to base, wings absent or minute, pollinia long-oval. Capsules elliptic-ovoid, ovoid, deeply, longitudinally grooved, yellow green to green maturing grey.