Spiranthes sinensis

Family	Orchidaceae
Subfamily	Orchidoideae
Tribe	Orchidaceae
Subtribe	Orchidaceae
Scientific name	Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames
Synonyms	Aristotelea spiralis Loureiro; Epidendrum aristotelea Räuschel; Gyrostachys congesta (Lindley) Kuntze; Gyrostachys novifuburgensis Kuntze; Gyrostachys stylites (Lindley) Kuntze; Gyrostachys wightiana Kuntze; Ibidium spirale (Loureiro) Makino; Ibidium viridiflorum (Makino) Makino; Neottia autumnalis (Balbis) Steudel; Neottia crispata Blume; Neottia parviflora Smith; Neottia pudica (Lindley) Sweet; Neottia sinensis Persoon; Ophrys spiralis Georgi; Spiranthes aristotelea (Räuschel) Merrill; Spiranthes congesta Lindley; Spiranthes crispata Zollinger & Moritzi; Spiranthes densa A. Richard; Spiranthes glauca Rafinesque; Spiranthes indica Lindley ex Steudel; Spiranthes longispicata A.Richard; Spiranthes neocaledonica Schlechter; Spiranthes novae-zelandiae Hooker f.; Spiranthes papuana Schlechter; Spiranthes parviflora (Smith) Lindley; Spiranthes pudica Lindley; Spiranthes spiralis (Loureiro) Makino; Spiranthes stylites Lindley; Spiranthes suishanensis (Hayata) Schlechter; Spiranthes viridiflora (Makino) Makino; Spiranthes wightiana Lindley
Common name	(Japanese common name) nangoku neji-bana (ナンゴクネジバナ, 南国捩花 [meaning: southern spiral flower])
	(Chinese common name) shou cao (綬草)
	(English common name) Ladie's tresses, Pearl-twist
Distribution	(Japan) Kyushu (Kagoshjima Prefecture), Okinawa
	(Other nations) Korea, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq
Habitat	Open field
Chromosomal number	2n=30
Description	Scapes electing 10-50cm tall. Leaves 5-20cm long. Flowers red or pink (marely white) corollas 4–8mm long, petals and ovary non-hair, flowering in February to June.Terrestrial. Perennial plants.
Reference	Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames
	Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames
	Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames
	Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames 1908
	Yuuki Sakamoto et al.: The differences in the response to temperatures on the seed germination and protocorm formation by aestival and autumn types of Spiranthes sinensis var. australis Ames [PDF]
	Culture of orchid (Japanese Patent JP10056875/1998)
Note	In genenral, Japanese people use tha latin name of Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames var. amoena (M. Bieberson) H. Hara as to describe this orchid. Some author use Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames (var. sinensis). However, Spiranthes sinensis (var. sinensis) is not a synonym of Spiranthes australis (R. Brown) Lindley (syn. Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames var. amoena (M. Bieberson) H. Hara). Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames var. sinensis can be found only in southwesren Island (southwest of Kagoshima Prefecture, including Okinawa, north of Taiwan) of Japan. Spiranthes sinensis (Persoon) Ames var. amoena (M. Bieberson) H. Hara forma gracilis F. Maekawa (found in Yakushima Island) is a small sized local variation of Spiranthes australis (R. Brown) Lindley.
	Photos below are those of an orchid which was cultivated by Mr. Masakuni Odakura and displayed at a lecture in Meiji University (Tokyo, Japan).

May 2011 at Meiji University	May 2011 at Meiji University	May 2011 at Meiji University