Botanical name: Habenaria multicaudata    Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)

Tentacled Deccan Habenaria is a terrestrial orchid, 15-25 cm high; stem erect, round; tubers spherical or ovoid-ellipsoid. Leaves are simple, alternate, oblong or elliptic-oblong, 15-20 x 4-6 cm, tip almost tapering or pointed, margins translucent and wavy. Flowers are bonre in racemes at branch-ends, lax, slender, 10-20 cm long, 5 to 10-flowered, stalked, bracteate, bracts sheathing. Flowers are stalked, bracteate, pale brownish green to greenish white. Flowers are 2.5-5 cm across; bracts green, many, unequal, 1.4-1.9 cm long, tapering, shorter than the ovary, sheathing. Sepals are greenish-brown, unequal, 3-nerved, 1.2-2.5 cm long; lateral sepals oblong to ovate, sickle shaped, pointed, 0.8-1.2 x 0.4-0.8 cm; dorsal sepal 6-9 x 1-4 mm, erect, concave, ovate oblong. Petals are greenish brown, bipartite segments of the petals elongated contorted; upper segments linear-thread-like, somewhat curved, 0.4-0.8 cm long; lower segment upto1.8 cm long, contorted. Lip is greenish brown, 3-5 cm, longer than the sepals, tripartite, spurred, lobes unequal, spreading, segments elongate, thread-like, contorted; lateral longer than the midlobe, up to 2.8 cm long, arched; midlobe linear, thread-like, straight, 1.6-1.8 cm long. Spur is dark green, 1-1.5 cm long, somewhat club-shaped. Capsules are green, 2.5-3 cm long, spindle-shaped, ribbed. Tentacled Deccan Habenaria is endemic to Peninsular India, basically Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu. Flowering: August-January.
Medicinal uses: The tubers are used as aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, and for skin diseases.

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The flower labeled Tentacled Deccan Habenaria is ...