Spider orchid - Spider orchid

Japanese: クモラン - くもらん

A small, leafless epiphytic orchid. It got its Japanese name from the resemblance of the aerial roots clinging to the trunk to spiders. What at first glance look like string-like leaves are actually flattened roots that contain chloroplasts and carry out photosynthesis. The stems do not grow long, and from May to July, flower stalks emerge from the axils of small scale leaves, producing several flowers. The flowers are small, yellow-green, and about 4 mm in diameter. The sepals and lateral petals are fused to the middle. There is a septum about 1 mm long. The capsules are oblong, 4 to 5 mm long, and ripen around December. They are distributed in Honshu (west of the Kanto region), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Korea.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

小型，無葉の着生ラン。幹にへばりついた気根のようすがクモに似るのでこの和名がある。一見ひも状の葉に見える器官は扁平になった根で，葉緑体を含み光合成を行う。茎は伸びず，5～7月，小さな鱗片葉の腋（わき）から花茎を出し，数花をつける。花は黄緑色，小さく径4mm程度。萼片と側花弁は中ほどまで癒合する。長さ1mmほどの距がある。蒴果（さくか）は長楕円形で，長さ4～5mm，12月ころに熟する。本州(関東以西)，四国，九州，朝鮮に分布する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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