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Journal of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine Vol. 6 No. 1 January - April 2008 ˜˜

vate and bilobe (in the middle), while the staminodes Type: Myanmar, tenasserim, Wallich 6593 (Lectotype
are white, obovate-oblong or oblong. K)
This species can be found in (its natural habitat) This beautiful species is recognized here as con-
in Ubon Ratchathani Province of Thailand, but it is specific to K. pulchra Ridl. It is also variable in plant
wildly cultivated, especially in northeastern Thailand, habit. However, it can be readily distinguished by
for spiritual and medicinal purposes. The cultivated its erect leaf blades, with 1-10 cm long petioles and
ones seem to be much larger in habit. the triangular (2-5 mm long) ligules, long hairy
pedunculated (1-20 cm) inflorescences, and violet
2. K. candida Wall., Pl. Asiat. Rar. 1: 47, t. 56. 1830; flowers with large orbicular to oblong crests with
Bak. in Hook., Fl. Br. Ind. 6: 222. 1894; Schum. in variable apices.
Engl., Pflanzenr. 4(46), 20 Heft: 87. 1904; Gagnep. in This taxon is also widely distributed: from India
Lecomte, Fl. Gén. I.-C. 6: 47. 1908; Jenjitt. & K.Larsen and Myanmar to Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.
in Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 28: 45-46, figs. 1-2. 2000; T.L.Wu It can be found from the northern part of the country
& K.Larsen in Z.L. Wu & PH. Raven, Fl. China 24: to Peninsular Thailand, often along the streams on
369. 2000. limestone boulders in mixed deciduous forests. This
species is widely cultivated in Thailand for horticul-
Type: Myanmar, Wallich 6585 (holotype K)
tural purposes. The leaves are edible and the rhi-
This edible taxon can be easily recognized by zomes are medicinal.
its radical inflorescences arising from the rhizomes
before the appearance of the leaf-shoot, white erect 4. K. fallax Gagnep. in Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 4. ser. 3:
lateral staminodes with yellow patches at the base, 259. 1903; Schum. in Engl., Pflanzenr. 4(46), 20 Heft:
and white reflexed labellum apically two-lobed for 437. 1904; Gagnep. in Lecomte, Fl. Gén. I.-C. 6: 48.
about one-third its length, with two yellow lines at 1908; Sirirugsa in Nord. J. Bot. 9: 259. 1989 & in Thai
the center. The inflorescences appear from as early For. Bull. (Bot.) 19: 4-5. 1992.
as March until late July.
Type: Laos, Harmand s.n. (holotype P)
This species is distributed from Myanmar and
China (southwest Yunnan) through Vietnam, Laos and This taxon can be distinguished by its 2-4 linear
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Cambodia. In Thailand it was recorded in leaves (not more than 1 cm wide), sessile inflores-
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Kanchanaburi Province. However, the authors also cences with pure white, night-blooming flowers, obo-
found this species in Tak, Mae Hong Son, and Chiang vate lateral staminodes, deeply bilobed lips, and quad-
Mai. rate bilobed crests. It is closely related to K. fissa
Gagnep. and K. filifolia K.Larsen. in plant habit and
3. K. elegans Wall. ex Baker. in Hooker, Fl. Br. Ind. its white flowers. However, the leaves of the latter
6:222. 1890; Schum. in Engl., Pflanzenr. 4(46), 20 Heft: two taxa are filiformis and the anther crests are ei-
82. 1904; Ridl., Fl. Mal. Pen. 4:245. 1924; Holtt. in Gard. ther square or rectangular with apices ranging from
Bull. Sing. 13:123. 1950; Chung, Lime. Fl. Mal. 2: 711. straight to bifurcate.
1973; Sirirugsa in Nord. J. Bot. 9: 259. 1989 & in Thai This species can be found thoughout southern
For. Bull. (Bot.) 19: 5-6. 1992; T.L.Wu & K.Larsen in Laos. It often grows in sandy soils near the banks of
Z.L.Wu & PH. Raven, Fl. China 24: 369. 2000.––K. rivers or in paddy fields in Nakhon Phanom,
crawfurdii Wall., Cat. in ed.–Monolophus elegans Wall., Ubonratchathani and Amnat Charoen provinces in
Pl. Asiat. Rar. 1:24. t. 27. 1830; Horan., Monogr. :22.1862. northeastern Thailand.
––K. pulchra Ridl. in J. Str. Br. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 32:
107. 1899. 5. K. filifolia K.Larsen in Bot. Tidsskr. 58: 201. 1962;
Sirirugsa in Nord. J. Bot. 9: 259. 1989 & in Thai For.