Strongyleria pannea

Flag Eria is a miniature to small sized, tree-dwelling or rock-dwelling orchid with a creeping rhizome carrying 2 to 3, close-set, round, laterally flattened, ventrally grooved, basally clasping leaves. The plant blooms in the spring on an apical, arcuate, velvet-hairy, short up to 2.5 cm, 1-3 flowered inflorescence with velvet-hairy, fragrant flowers . Flowers are vanilla-scented, pale yellow-green, lip dark purplish; flower-stalk and ovary 7-10 mm. Sepals are densely hairy below, yellowish brown (when dried) and sparsely hairy above; dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, about 6 x 3 mm, blunt; lateral sepals obliquely ovate-triangular, about 6 x 5 mm, blunt. Petals are oblong, about 5 x 2 mm, both surfaces sparsely white hairy, blunt. Lip is nearly obovate-elliptic, about 7 x 4 mm, apical part slightly fleshy, both surfaces white woolly, margin entire, tip blunt-rounded, base narrowed and with a linear callus, tip with 1 prominent elongate-elliptic callus. Flag Eria is found in E. Himalaya to S. China and SE Asua. Flowering: April-May.