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

This is the most famous Thai taxon in recent Pl. t. 97. 1828; Wight, Icon. T. 2029. 1853; Bak. in
times. Its rhizome is claimed to possess a potent male Hook., Fl. Br. Ind. 6: 222. 1890; Schum. in Engl.,
aphrodisiac effect, known locally as wan krachai dam, Pflanzenr. 4(46), 20 Heft: 87. 1904; Gagnep. in Lecomte,
or krachai dam. This taxon possesses grayish to black Fl. Gén. I.-C. 6: 47. 1908; Valet., Bull. Jard. Bot.
rhizomes and the erect ovate or elliptic leaf blades, Buitinzorg ser. 2. 27: 109. 1918; Ridl., Fl. Mal. Pen.
with 1-10 cm long petioles. The inflorescence is pe- 4:246. 1924; Holtt. in Gard. Bull. Sing. 13:120. 1950.
dunculated (5-6 cm) with a few small flowers easily Plate II: 4; Burtt & Smith in Dassanayake, Fl. Cey. 4:
recognized by the white oblong staminodes, the obo- 509. 1983; Sirirugsa in Nord. J. Bot. 9: 259. 1989 & in
vate purple lip (darker in the middle) with the Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 19: 7-8. 1992; T.L.Wu & K.Larsen
emarginated apex, and suborbicular (1-1.5 × about 2 in Z.L.Wu & PH. Raven, Fl. China 24: 369. 2000.––K.
mm) anther crest. longa Jacq., Pl. Hort. Schönbr. tab. 317. 1798.––K.
This species is distributed over an area from vercicolor Salisb. in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1: 286. 1808.
India and Myanmar to Thailand and Laos. In Thai-
Type: Roscoe ill?
land, it can be found in deciduous forests or moist
bamboo forests in Tak and Kanchanaburi provinces. This species, including K. candida Wall. and K.
It is currently widely cultivated in Thailand for its glandifolia Saensouk & Jenjitt., belongs to a group
black rhizomes. characterized by its radical inflorescences arising from
the rhizomes before the appearance of the leaf-shoot.
13. K. roscoeana Wall., Bot. Reg. t.1212. 1829; Horan., However, it can be differentiated from the later two
Monogr.:21. 1862; Hook. f., Bot. Mag. T. 5600. 1866; taxa by its characteristic leaves and flowers. This taxon
Bak. in Hook., Fl. Br. Ind. 6: 220. 1894; Schum. in possesses 2-4, erect, ellictic or lanceolate-oblong leaves
Engl., Pflanzenr. 4(46), 20 Heft: 78. 1904; Sirirugsa in with the upper surface being glabrous and the lower
Nord. J. Bot. 9: 259. 1989 & in Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 19: surface hairy, and hairy petioles about 1-2 cm long.
13-14. 1992. The oblong lateral staminodes are white (or light
purple) with a purple tint, and the purple labellum is
Type: Myanmar, cultivated at K, Wallich no. ? (holo-
deeply bilobed (each lobe is elliptic), often with two
type K)
darker purple blotches at the base of each lobe. The
This species is characterized by its usually two anther crest is characteristically oblong (9-12 × 3-4
large sessile suborbicular leaves and white flowers mm) with the trilobed apex, the outer lobes are acute
with yellow spot at the base of the labella. The leaves and elongated but the middle one is shorter (the apex
are flat on the ground, both sides glabrous, and often being entire or emarginate).
the upper surface mottled dark green. The staminodes This taxon is distributed from India through Sri
are obovate and the labellum is deeply divided to Lanka, southern China, Indochina, Malay Peninsula
form the obovate lobes with crenate or emarginate and Java. In Thailand it had been recorded in all parts
apex. The anther crest is characteristically rectangu- of the country. It can be found on limestone hills,
lar (3-3.5 × 1-3 mm) with the entire or emarginate open lower montane forests, open grassy areas, and
apex. in mixed deciduous forests, from as low an altitude
This taxon is distributed in a range from India, as 50 m to above 1800 m on Doi Sam Phi Nong in
Nepal and Myanmar, to Thailand. It can be found in Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary (Chiang Mai Pro-
the bamboo and dry dipterocarp forests in Tak, Chiang vince).
Mai, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima and Prachuap
Khiri Khan provinces of Thailand. 15. K. siamensis Sirirugsa in Nord. J. Bot. 9: 257, 259.
1989. Fig. 1 A-G & in Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 19: 9-10.
14. K. rotunda L., Sp. Pl.: 3. 1753; Roscoe, Monand. 1992.