Phaius tankervilliae




Family Orchidaceae
Sunfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Collabieae (also placed in Arethuseae)
Scientific name Phaius tankervilliae (Banks ex L'Heritier) Blume
Synonyms Bletia incarvillei R. Brown; Bletia tankervilleae R. Brown; Calanthe bachmaensis Gagnepain; Dendrobium veratrifolium Roxburgh; Limodorum incarvilliae Persoon; Limodorum spectabile Salisbury; Limodorum tankervilleae Banks ex L'Heritier; Pachyne spectabilis Salisbury; Phaius australis F. Müller; Phaius bernaysii F. Müller ex Bernays; Phaius bicolor Lindley; Phaius blumei Lindley; Phaius blumei Lindley var. assamicus Reichenbach f.; Phaius blumei Lindley var. pulcher King & Pantling; Phaius carroni F. Müller; Phaius giganteus Hemsley; Phaius grandifolius Reichenbach f.; Phaius grandifolius Loureiro; Phaius grandifolius Lindley; Phaius grandifolius Lindley var. superbus Van Houtte; Phaius incarvillei O. Kuntze; Phaius leucophaeus F. Müller; Phaius longicornu Guillaumin; Phaius magniflorus Z. H. Tsi & S. C. Chen; Phaius mannii Reichenbach f.; Phaius oweniae Sander; Phaius roeblingii O'Brien; Phaius sanderi Sander; Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Heritier) Blume forma veronicae S. Y. Hu & Barretto; Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Heritier) Blume var. pulchra (King & Pantling) Karth; Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Heritier) Blume var. superbus (Van Houtte) S. Y. Hu; Phaius tenuis Reichenbach f.; Phaius veratrifolius (Roxburgh) Lindley; Phaius wallichi Hooker; Tankervillia cantoniensis Link
Common name (Japanese common name) kakucho-ran (カクチョウラン, 鶴頂蘭 [meaning: crane-top orchid]), kaku-ran (カクラン, 鶴蘭 [meaning: crane orchid])
(English common name) Nun's orchid, Kunai [tall grass] orchid
Distribution (Japan) Kyushu (Tanegashima island, Yakushima island, Amami-Ohshima island), Okinawa
(Other nations) Australia, the Pacific Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, India, Taiwan and southern China
Habitat Wet field, evergreen forest
Chromosomal number 2n=38, 42, 48
Description Leaves 70cm long, 15cm wide.Scapes electing 60-70cm (sometimes ca. 100cm) tall.Flowers white (outside) and brown (inside; sometimes white), perianths 5cm long, 1-1.5cm wide, spurs ca. 1cm long, flowering in May to June. Terrestrial. Perennial plants.
Reference Phaius tankervilliae [Banks] Blume 1852
Phaius tankervilleae (Banks ex L'Her.) Blume
Chemotherapeutic agents for the control of plant and animal diseases (US Patent 20060178431)
Note The biggest wild orchid in Japan.
Invasive plants



January 2007
at Itabashi Botanical Garden
January 2007
at Itabashi Botanical Garden
January 2007
at Itabashi Botanical Garden



Phaius tankervilliae
'Kinkaku'
Phaius tankervilliae
'Kinkaku'
January 2010
at Tsukuba Botanical Garden
January 2010
at Tsukuba Botanical Garden