Pleione

Coelogyneae subtribe Coelogyninae

Dwarf terrestrials, lithophytes or epiphytes. Pseudobulbs cormose, annual, ovoid to barrel-shaped, covered with sheaths when young. Leaves 1--2, uniform throughout the genus, elliptic-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, erect-arching, plicate, petiolate, deciduous. Inflorescences basal, erect, solitary or twin-flowered. Flowers showy. Sepals and petals free, spreading, usually subsimilar. Lip unlobed or obscurely three-lobed, tubular with a flared erose-toothed rim, the callus raised longitudinal keels. Column lightly arching, winged; pollinia 4.

A genus of 15 species and three natural hybrids native to the Himalayas from Nepal to southern China. This account largely follows the monograph by Cribb, Tang and Butterfield (1988).

1 Pseudobulbs with two leaves. 2 1' Pseudobulbs with one leaf. 5 2(1) Lip transverse (wider than long); floral bract much shorter than the ovary. P. scopulorum 2' Lip not transverse; floral bract subequal or longer than the ovary. 3 3(2') Pseudobulbs mottled reddish brown; flowers appearing after the leaves have dropped. P. praecox 3' Pseudobulbs without reddish brown mottling; flowers appearing on the new growth before the emergence of the leaves. 4 4(3') Sepals and petals pink to rose-purple. P. x lagenaria 4' Sepals and petals white. P. maculata 5(1') Sepals and petals yellow. P. forrestii 5' Sepals and petals pink or white. 6 6(5') Callus keels with hair-like or barbate margins. 7 6' Callus keels entire or variously toothed. 10 7(6) Flowers pink; lip transverse (wider than long) or suborbicular. 8 7' Flowers white; lip neither transverse nor suborbicular. 9 8(7) Pseudobulbs larger, to 2.1 in. (5.5 cm) long; lip without any spotting. P. chunii 8' Pseudobulbs smaller, to 1.2 in. (3 cm) long; lip with purple or yellowish brown spots. P. hookeriana 9(7') Petals more than 1.8 in. (4.5 cm)long; callus of five keels. P. albiflora 9' Petals less than (1.6 in. (4.2 cm) long; callus of 5--7 keels. P. humilis 10(6') Callus keels with entire margins. 11 10' Callus keels variously toothed or divided. 12 11(10) Floral bract longer than the ovary; lip obscurely three-lobed; callus of seven keels. P. coronaria 11' Floral bract shorter than the ovary; lip three-lobed; callus of five keels. P. yunnanensis 12(10') Flowers white. 13 12' Flowers pink. 14 13(12) Callus keels from the base of the lip, the most apical callus a central pair of parallel keels. P. formosana 13' Callus keels starting near the middle of the lip, the most apical keel a short central keel about a 1/3 the length of the other keels. P. grandiflora 14(12') Callus keels from the base of the lip, the most apical callus a central pair of parallel keels. 15 14' Callus keels starting near the middle of the lip, the most apical keel a short central keel about a 1/3 the length of the other keels. P. bulbocodioides 15(14) Lip suborbicular, without yellow pigment; callus keels with irregularly toothed margins. P. limprichtii 15' Lip longer than broad, with yellow pigment; callus keels with entire margins or the margins evenly toothed. 16 16(15') Lip +/- straight in sideview; column usually shorter, 1.1--1.4 in. (2.8--3.6 cm) long. P. formosana 16' Lip strongly curved in sideview; column usually longer, 1.4--1.8 in. (3.5--4.5 cm) long. P. speciosa

Bellone, R. 1999. Le genre Pleione D. Don. Orchid. Cult. & Protect. 38(2):5-13; Bergel, G. 1998. Ein brauchbares Substrat für dir Gattung Pleione. Die Orchidee 49(3):117-119; Braem, G. J. 1991. Pleione kohlsii, an exciting novelty from southern China. Schlechteriana 4/91:167-169; Braem, G. J. 1999. Nouveaux taxons dans le genre Pleione D. Don. Orchid. Cult. & Protect. 38(2):20-26; Braem, G. J. and H. Mohr 1989. Pleione pinkepankii and Pleione pleoniodes. Orchis(Italy) 65-66:121-126; Cavender, D. 1998. Pleione. Orchids 67(4):358-367; Chen, S.-C. and Z.-H. Tsi 2000. Pleione microphylla, a new orchid from southern Guangdong, China. Acta Phytotax. Sinica 38(2):182-184; Cribb, P. 1988. Two recently introduced species of Pleione from China. Kew Mag. 5:161-167; Cribb, P. J. 1992. Further thoughts on Pleione species. National Pleione Report (United Kingdom) 1992:35-38; Cribb, P. and Z.-C. Chen 1994. Pleione chunii, an earlier name for P. aurita. Orchid Rev. 102(1199):276-277; Cribb, P. and H. Pfennig 1988. Pleione aurita, eine neue Art aus China. Die Orchidee 39:111-114; Cribb, P., C. Z. Tang and I. Butterfield 1988. The genus Pleione. Bot. Mag., n. s., 184:1-147; Hunt, P. F. 1961. Pleiones from Formosa. J. Roy. Hort. Soc. 86(4):168-171; Hunt, P. F. and C. G. Vosa 1971. The cytology and taxonomy of the genus Pleione D. Don (Orchidaceae). Kew Bull. 25:423-432; Kleinhaus, G. 1999. Neues aus der Gattung Pleione. J. Orchideenfr. 6(2):81-93; Li, H. and G. Feng 1987. A new species of the Orchidaceae, Pleione alba. Wild Orchid J. 2:44-46; Perner, H. 1998. Am Naturstandort von Pleione chunii Tso. Die Orchidee 49(6):259-261; Perner, H. 1998. Pleione humilis (J. E. Sm.) D. Don 1825. Die Orchidee 49(6): Orchideenkartei Seite 893-894; Perner, H. 1999. Pleione ? christianii, eine neue Naturhybride aus Südwestchina. Die Orchidee, Suppl. 6:11-15; Perner, H. 1999. Pleione speciosa Ames & Schltr. 1919. Die Orchidee 50(1): Orchideenkartei Seite 895-896; Perner, H. 1999. Pleione grandiflora, eine chinesische Schönheit. Die Orchidee 50(3):[042]-[047]; Pfennig, H. 1984. Neues aus der Gattung Pleione. Die Orchidee 35(2):67; Pinkepank, H. 1986. Pleione scopulorum W. W. Smith wiederentdeckt. Die Orchidee 37(6):264; Pinkepank, H. 1999. Pleione braemii, une nouvelle et spectaculaire espèce du Yunnan (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Coelogyneae), Orchid. Cult. & Protect. 38(2):27; Senger, I. and G. Senger 1998. Die Gattung Pleione. J. Orchideenfr. 5(4):231-246; Stergianou, K. K. 1989. Habit differentiation and chromosome evolution in Pleione, Orchidaceae. Pl. Syst. Evol. 166:253-264; Trudel, N. 1985. Pleione coronaria: die Suche nach dem nepalesischen Krokus. Die Orchidee 36(5):206.