Calanthe aristulifera ("Kirishimaebine")

Japanese name: キリシマエビネ （霧島海老根）
Scientific name: Calanthe aristulifera

[Overview]
A perennial 20–40 cm tall, found in evergreen broadleaf forests.
It has round pseudobulbs underground.
2–3 leaves emerge; they are narrowly oblong, 15–30 cm long and 4–6 cm wide, with a pointed tip and entire margins.
The leaves have longitudinal wrinkles and short hairs on the underside.
A raceme at the tip of a flower stalk bearing one scale leaf carries 10–15 flowers.
The flowers do not open fully and are white to pale pink, blooming slightly drooping.
The bracts are lanceolate, 1–2 cm long and 7 mm wide, and persist even at flowering.
The tepals are ovate-oblong, 1.5 cm long, with pointed tips; the lateral petals are narrower than the sepals.
The lip is fan-shaped, usually shallowly 3-lobed at the tip, with 3 raised ridges in the center.
The spur is 15 mm long, longer than the sepals.

[Cultivation]
Propagate mainly by division, but back bulb shoots and seed are also possible.
Grow in partial shade to shade, sheltered from dry winter north winds. It is better to keep the air humidity high.
Because it is of southern origin, it is somewhat vulnerable to cold, and below -5℃ the leaves are damaged and the plant weakens. It is also sensitive to low humidity and dryness.

[Notes]
A small form from Mt. Kirishima in Kyushu is sometimes distinguished as Kokirishima-ebine.

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