''Rhynchostylis retusa'' (also called foxtail orchid) is an orchid, belonging to the '' Vanda'' alliance. The inflorescence is a pendant

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

, consisting of more than 100 pink-spotted white flowers. The plant has a short, stout, creeping stem carrying up to 12, curved, fleshy, deeply channeled, keeled, retuse apically leaves and blooms on an axillary pendant to long, racemose, densely flowered, cylindrical inflorescence that occurs in the winter and early spring. It is famous for its use as a hair-ornament worn by Assamese women during folk dance Bihu on the onset of spring.

Distribution

Rhynchostylis retusa infloresence closeup

The plant is an

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

growing on tree trunks in open forests or at forest margins at elevations of . It can be found in

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(Guizhou, Yunnan),

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In India, the plant is most common in North-East,

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...

and

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. In Andhra Pradesh, the plant is called by

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

name Chintaranamu. Due to bio-piracy, the plant is on the verge of extinction in India. Rhychostylis retusa is recognized as the state flower of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

in India as well the

Uva Province Uva Province ( si, ඌව පළාත, Uva Paḷāta, ta, ஊவா மாகாணம், Uvā Mākāṇam) is Sri Lanka's second least populated Provinces of Sri Lanka, province, with 1,259,880 people, created in 1896. It consists of two dis ...

of Sri Lanka. Rhynchostylis gigantea of Assam 2

Care

The plant requires regular watering and applications of fertilizer throughout the year, although it will die if the leaves are wet frequently. It prefers indirect lighting. Flowering usually occurs in late spring.(1998-01-20)
"Rhynchostylis page"
Orchid Species.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-18.

Medicinal uses

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

various preparations of the plant were used against

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and for 'nervous twitchings' (referable possibly to tic disorder), cramp,

epileptic spasms Epileptic spasms is an uncommon-to-rare epileptic disorder in infants, children and adults. One of the other names of the disorder, West syndrome, is in memory of the English physician, William James West (1793–1848), who first described it in ...

, vertigo,

palpitations Palpitations are perceived abnormalities of the heartbeat characterized by awareness of cardiac muscle contractions in the chest, which is further characterized by the hard, fast and/or irregular beatings of the heart. Symptoms include a rapi ...

, kidney stone and

menstrual disorder A menstrual disorder is characterized as any abnormal condition with regards to a person's menstrual cycle. There are many different types of menstrual disorders that vary with signs and symptoms, including pain during menstruation, heavy bleeding ...

. The plant has also been used in Assam to treat wounds, cuts and bruises. The plant has been used as an

emollient A moisturizer, or emollient, is a cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollient" is derived from the Latin verb ''mo ...

in India and

. Under the name of ''rasna'' the root is used to treat

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

throughout the Indian subcontinent.Orchid Biology: Reviews and Perspectives, III ed. Arditti,Joseph,pub.Comstock Publishing Associates - a division of Cornell University Press 1984 (v.1) : Chapter 2 : Ethnobotany of the Orchidaceae by Lawler,Leonard J. page 101

Significance in Assamese culture

The species is the state flower of

, where it is popularly known as কপৌ ফুল (Kopou Ful), and is an integral part of a

Bihu Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The Rongali Bihu i ...

dancer's attire. The plant is considered to be a symbol of love, fertility and merriment and is popular in Assamese wedding ceremonies.

Gallery

File:Rhynchostylis retusa flower transformation.ogg, Transformation of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' from flower buds to seeds. File:Rhynchostylis retusa buds 0.jpg, New Buds of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa buds 1.jpg, New Buds of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa buds 3.jpg, Buds of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa buds 4.jpg, Buds of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa buds 5.jpg, Buds of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa buds 7.jpg, Buds of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa bloom.jpg, Flowers of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa flower.jpg, Flowers of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa flowers 2.jpg, Flowers of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa flowers.jpg, Flowers of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 0.jpg, New fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 1.jpg, New fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 2.jpg, New fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 4.jpg, Fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 5.jpg, Fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 6.jpg, Fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa fruits 7.jpg, Matured fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa seeds 1.jpg, Matured fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa seeds.jpg, Matured fruits of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis retusa roots.jpg, New roots of ''Rhynchostylis retusa'' File:Rhynchostylis-retusa.jpg, Flowers of ''Rhynchostylis retusa''

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2221728 retusa Orchids of Asia Flora of Assam (region) Orchids of Bangladesh Flora of Bhutan Orchids of Cambodia Orchids of China Orchids of Assam Orchids of Indonesia Orchids of Laos Orchids of Malaysia Orchids of Myanmar Orchids of Nepal Orchids of the Philippines Orchids of Singapore Orchids of Sri Lanka Orchids of Thailand Orchids of Vietnam Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus