A terrestrial perennial orchid with reedy stems in large clumps 70 cm to 2 m tall; plaited linear-lanceolate leaves 9–19 cm long and under 1.5 cm wide, like bamboo. Terminal flowers in open racemes opening one or two at a time in succession, ten at most; 5–7 cm across, rosy lilac and white with a purple lip, like a pink bird swaying on the stem, which gives its Taiwanese name bird orchid. Small plants often grow at the cane tips after flowering. Very variable within the species.
Habitat
Sunny hill grassland, lowland meadows, road cuttings and park lawns below 1,000 m, one of the few orchids that works as a groundcover.
Distribution
Across tropical Asia: Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, the Ryukyus, Malaysia, Singapore and southern China to Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea; naturalised in Hawaii, Réunion and elsewhere. Common in Singapore's parks and roadsides, wild in southern China and Taiwan, in Japan only on the Ryukyus.
Season and behaviour
Flowers on and off all year in Singapore, more after the rains; June to October in southern China and Taiwan. Each flower lasts two or three days and is freshest at dawn.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
A single flower on a tall stem sways in the wind: 1/500 s or faster with a long lens from slightly below, against sky or a dark green slope; the purple lip and yellow throat want a macro. It is common at roadsides; never pick it.
Photographic styles
A pink-violet orchid swaying on a grassy slope; clean long-lens backgrounds.
Similar species
Arundina caespitosa, added to the genus in 2007; other terrestrial orchids (different flower and leaf shapes).
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons; its licence and author are under it.
Why it is listed: this species comes from the Flower checklist (GBIF backbone and Wikidata verified). Names follow the GBIF backbone and Wikidata; the facts follow the sources below; photo recognition is not offered.
